Green stool - causes and possible diseases

Defoliation of bowel movements can be an important indicator of disease processes in the body. This is especially true when it comes to diseases of the digestive tract. This is no different with a green bowel movement. Although the greenish discolouration of the stools can be attributed to the innocuous consumption of green food in most cases, sometimes there is a serious gastrointestinal disease behind the green color of the stool. What causes of green stools can still exist and how stool discoloration can be remedied in an emergency, reveals our contribution to the subject.

contents

• definition
• Dietary factors as the main cause
• Green bowel movements when taking certain medications
• Special case: Green bowel movement in the baby
• Green stool and diseases of the digestive tract
• symptoms
• diagnosis
• therapy
• Diseases that can trigger green bowel movements

definition

First of all, it should be mentioned that minor changes in stool coloration are completely normal. Because like the consistency of the faeces, its color is first determined by the composition of the daily food. For example, the stool is usually very strong after predominantly eating low-fiber foods such as hard cheese or white bread, whereas high-fiber or high-liquid food promotes a soft stool. When it comes to the color of bowel movements, usually vegetable or artificial colors play a decisive role.

Green stool is often due to the harmless consumption of colored food. In some cases, however, a disease in the stomach or intestine may be responsible. (Image: lindahughes / fotolia.com)

However, green bowel movements are not always due to harmless food dyes. In addition, there are a number of diseases for which a green stool is characteristic. In case of doubt, a medical examination should be carried out here, because especially infections of the gastrointestinal tract are happy to report by green stained bowel movements. And even as a side effect of drugs green stool is known, the symptom here is not usually considered to be dangerous and quickly disappears after discontinuation of medication.

Dietary factors as the main cause

With regard to green stools due to eating habits, the green plant pigment chlorophyll should be mentioned in particular. He is colloquially also known as leaf green and in plants actually responsible for photosynthesis, ie the conversion of light in usable for the plant energy. If you consume appropriate plant foods, the chlorophyll can provide a green colored stool. The reason for this is the fact that chlorophyll is not digested on its way through the intestine and thus completely excreted, with the side effect that the stool turns green.

Since photosynthesis mainly takes place via the leaves of plants, especially leafy vegetables such as kale or spinach contain a great deal of chlorophyll. But other vegetables also have significant amounts of chlorophyll. Overall, the following vegetable varieties are considered to be particularly chlorophyll-containing:

• stinging nettle,
• broccoli,
• green beans,
• green peas,
• Kale,
• green smoothies,
• cucumber,
• kiwi,
• spinach
• and white cabbage.

Green stools are more likely in this respect if a high-volume diet with uncooked or only weakly steamed variants of the above-mentioned vegetable varieties takes place. In addition, in combination with red cabbage or red wine even small quantities of chlorophyll can lead to green bowel movements. Responsible for this are so-called anthocyanins - another group of vegetable dyes that, in contrast to chlorophyll stain the chair is not green, but red to blue violet. Due to their chemical properties, however, anthocyanins can trigger brownish to greenish-brownish discolouration even by the addition of low doses of leaf green. A similar effect is observed in the consumption of red meat and sausage products such as black pudding and minced meat. However, the poorly degradable red dye is not anthocyanins but the red blood pigment hemoglobin contained in meat or sausage products.

In case of dietary discoloration, the plant pigment chlorophyll is the cause of the green color. This can not be digested by the body and is thus completely excreted again. (Image: lilechka75 / fotolia.com)

by the wayIn addition to natural foods, green and red dyes such as chlorophyll or anthocyanins may also be included as a food additive in finished products such as desserts, pastries or soft drinks.

Green bowel movements when taking certain medications

When it comes to the colorant chlorophyll in particular, the intake of chlorophyll-containing drugs, such as those used in the treatment of body odor or halitosis, must be mentioned as a possible cause of the green bowel movement. In addition, there are other medicines, as a side effect of a possible green discoloration of stool is attributed. Here it is usually other chemical additives that react during digestion with the food pulp and dye it green in this way. In addition to relevant preparations such as IbuHexal, oxycodone or Pentasa, possible risk preparations can usually be assigned to one of the following drug groups:

• laxative,
• antibiotics,
• anti-inflammatory drugs,
• chemotherapeutics,
• iron supplements
• or pain medication.

As a rule, there is no need to worry about green bowel movements caused by medication. After all, the preparations help long-term to treat an existing underlying disease, so that the stool discoloration is usually at best an annoying side effect. If a green bowel movement occurs in the course of taking medication but together with other complaints, for example, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, the treating physician should be consulted and, if necessary, a change of preparation should be considered together with him.

Special case: Green bowel movement in the baby

Another harmless form of green stool discoloration is excretion of so-called neonatal infant fever (meconium) about 12 to 48 hours after birth. This first bowel movement of the newborn is discolored blackish-greenish and of sticky consistency, which, strictly speaking, is not really a chair at all. Rather, the Kindspech contains remnants of amniotic fluid, intestinal mucosal cells, protein and larger amounts of first, unused and thickened bile. A mixture that marks, so to speak, the "putting into operation" of the digestive function in the baby. Its green color receives the meconium especially through the contained bile. This is produced in the liver and naturally has a yellowish-green color, which is due to the green bile pigment biliverdin.

By breastfeeding or feeding breastmilk substitutes, as well as the physiological and gradual colonization of the infant intestine with intestinal bacteria, the bowel movement of the baby discolored after leaving the Kindspechs but usually very quickly in its natural color. If, however, the greenish bowel movement in the newborn continues for several days, it is by no means the natural meconium. Much more likely then is an intestinal infection in the newborn, which is why in such cases immediately a medical examination of the infant chair should be done.

A harmless form of green stool occurs in babies shortly after birth. This is the excretion of so-called Kindspech. This is usually normalized by breastfeeding or feeding breastmilk substitutes. (Image: Tomsickova / fotolia.com)

Green stool and diseases of the digestive tract

At the baby's first stool, as mentioned, the bile in the excretions is still completely normal. Thereafter, as in adulthood, larger bile admixtures in bowel movements indicate serious digestive disorders. More specifically, there is a disturbed fat digestion, for which the bile is actually responsible. Affected is the duodenum (duodenum), in which the digestion of fat takes place. Conceivable diseases are here for example:

• Duodenal ulcer (ulcer duodeni),
• Duodenitis (duodenitis),
• Duodenal cancer (duodenal carcinoma)
• and duodenal narrowing (duodenal stenosis).

In babies, a green bowel movement that continues beyond natural meconium may also point to malformations of the duodenum, such as congenital misplacement or incomplete development of duodenal lumen.

Far away from the duodenum, there are of course other diseases in the digestive tract, whose leading or accompanying symptom is a green color of the stool. Essentially, these are so-called diarrheal diseases, ie diseases that accompany diarrhea (diarrhea) as a cardinal symptom. Since diarrhea is a typical symptom in the digestive tract, such diseases are almost always related to health problems in the digestive tract

• Stomach (gaster),
• Large intestine (Intestinum crassum)
• or small intestine (intestine tenue).

Three main scenarios are of particular importance when it comes to the development of such gastrointestinal diseases.

1. Infection by bacteria or viruses

Bacterial and viral infectious diseases of the stomach or intestine are sometimes not only the most common cause of diarrhea, but also for other concomitant symptoms related to bowel movements. In particular stool discoloration can be observed in addition to diarrheal events again and again in gastrointestinal infections of this kind. Again, in such cases, a disturbed degradation of the bile juice can be cited as the cause, which occurs because the porridge has an unusually rapid gastrointestinal passage due to illness.

Infectious diseases such. As a gastrointestinal infection can cause not only diarrhea and stool discoloration. Reason is a disturbed degradation of bile juice. (Image: Rosalie P./fotolia.com)

While the bile juice in a normal intestinal peristalsis that is mitzersetzt after completion of fat digestion in the intestine, an infection provides for an accelerated intestinal peristalsis, in which the food porridge is passed faster through the intestinal loops. For this reason, natural digestive enzymes barely have time to accomplish their tasks in the gastrointestinal tract, so that as a result, the bile is hardly decomposed. The excreted bowel movement therefore has a green-yellow color in numerous diarrheal diseases due to increased bile admixture. The most common infectious agents include bacteria such as Salmonella or Clostridia, as well as Noro, Adeno and Rotaviruses. Classic diseases that are triggered by the mentioned pathogens are:

• Gastritis (gastritis),
• Colitis (Colitis),
• Small intestinal inflammation (enteritis)

and gastrointestinal inflammation / gastrointestinal influenza (gastroenteritis).

2. intestinal parasites

Another form of infectious disease that can cause green stools in humans is infection by parasites, or more specifically intestinal parasites. They are usually absorbed by contaminated food or contaminated water and enter the intestine. Some parasites live for a long time completely unobtrusive in the digestive tract, where they feed on nutrients from the food pulp or the intestinal walls. At least after a certain size of the intestinal parasites or after their multiplication in the intestine, however, there are conspicuous disease symptoms, such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, mild fever, fatigue, rapid weight loss or just stool discoloration. In particular, two groups of parasites provide for a green diarrhea:

1. Unicellular organisms (e.g., amoebae, giardia, blastocysts)
2. and worms (e.g., pinworms, intestines, hookworms).

Parasites in the intestine (eg Giardia, pictured here) may also be responsible for green staining of the stool. Mostly they are taken up by contaminated food. (Photo: elviragerecht / fotolia.com)

3. Disturbed intestinal flora

If there is an imbalance in the flora of a given body environment, it is called a dysbiosis in medicine. This particularly affects the intestinal flora, in which even a slight imbalance of bacteria can decide whether a healthy bacterial milieu or caused by dysbiosis bacterial infection is present.

Actually, the naturally occurring in the gut bacteria are essential for the functionality of the digestive tract. Depending on the type of bacterial colonization, these either serve the intestinal immune system, help with digestion or produce necessary enzymes for the body metabolism. In return for their support in the organism, the bacteria in turn benefit from the human body as a nutrient source. So if the intestinal flora is balanced, man lives with his natural bacterial colonization in a kind of symbiosis. In certain circumstances, however, this natural balance can be massively disrupted. This not only changes the basic composition of the intestinal flora. Also, a change in color and consistency of the excretion products is relatively common in a disturbed intestinal flora.

On the one hand, dysbiosis can be caused by nutritional errors, for example due to one-sided or too sugary and fatty nutrition. Often, however, the intestinal flora is also affected by autoimmune diseases out of balance, as it is the case with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Also very often a treatment with antibiotics is responsible for the dysbiosis in the intestine. Although antibiotic agents can kill bacterial strains relatively effectively and thus act reliably against bacterial infections, but an antibiotic is not able to distinguish between the body's own and alien bacteria. In antibiotic therapy it comes as a side effect therefore often to a destruction of health-promoting intestinal bacteria. If the intestinal flora is weakened in this way, in turn increases the risk that settle by the intestinal weakness increased disease-causing bacteria in the intestine. In addition, natural digestive processes also suffer from the imbalance in the intestinal flora, which in turn can lead to indigestion and stool changes.

A good example of this is the bacterium Clostridium difficile. Especially elderly and chronically ill people, who often need to be treated with antibiotics, are prone to enteritis as a result of over-colonization with this bacterial strain. The infestation manifests itself among others in greenish-colored, malodorous diarrhea of ​​aqueous consistency.

symptoms

Whether green bowel movements are accompanied by other concomitant symptoms depends on the underlying cause. If a simple and harmless explanation for stool discoloration (e.g., eating green foods) and stool changes are short-lived, generally no complaints are expected and there is usually no reason for a doctor's visit. On the contrary, the consumption of leafy vegetables is very healthy and indicates a balanced diet with enough fiber, vitamins and minerals. However, if the green bowel movement persists for a long time without explaining (about three days or more) or is accompanied by accompanying symptoms such as mucus in the stool, abdominal pain or diarrhea, we strongly advise you to consult a doctor. Altogether the following accompanying complaints are to be evaluated as alarm signals:

• fatigue,
• Blood in,
• Stomach cramps,
• fever,
• Mucus in the stool,
• persistent black-green stool staining
• as well as nausea and vomiting.

Danger: Just permanently blackish stools, as well as mucus or blood in stool, may indicate the presence of a gastrointestinal ulcer or a tumor disease! Even highly advanced inflammatory processes in the digestive tract are often accompanied by corresponding symptoms.

diagnosis

Of course, the first step in diagnosing green bowel movements is the patient's self-diagnosis. In the vast majority of cases, stool changes are detected by those affected directly during toilet flushing. The doctor will then first prepare a detailed patient interview (anamnesis) in which existing concomitant symptoms and possible pre-existing conditions are discussed.

The first diagnosis with a changed chair usually consists of the own eye diagnosis. If symptoms persist or are not due to ingestion, a doctor should be consulted if necessary. (Image: Gina Sanders / fotolia.com)

Following the anamnesis, stool samples are of course the next logical measure for evaluation in the laboratory. Above all, the laboratory examination allows an assessment of the intestinal flora based on any bacterial contamination. But also inflammatory mucous secretions, blood additions and nutrient values ​​can sometimes be read from the stool sample. To further identify the cause, imaging techniques such as gastroscopy (gastroscopy) or colonoscopy (colonoscopy) are conceivable in the next step. Not only is the state of health of the digestive tract revealed, but in the context of an endoscopic biopsy further mucosal samples may be taken.

therapy

Depending on the cause of green stool staining, different strategies may be considered as countermeasures. With regard to nutritional aspects, there is usually no need to take any action, as green stool by food colorants - as mentioned - usually has no potential for danger. However, those who feel disturbed by the diet-related discolouration of the stools may fall back on less chlorophyll-containing vegetables and fruits for a while. In cases of disease-related green bowel movements, however, a more targeted therapeutic procedure is necessary:

Medical therapy

Depending on the underlying cause of green stool may be due to previous disease, various drugs into consideration. For example, intestinal parasites are treated with a corresponding antiparasitic drug. With worms one uses here so-called Anthelminthika, with an infection by unicellulars Antiprotozoika and bacterial infections are treated by default with a suitable antibiotic.

It should be noted that the use of antibiotics in the context of bowel disease is often a conventional medical balancing act between high and too low dosage. In the foreground should be the intention in any case not to harm the already damaged intestinal flora by the antibiotic agents even more. Regular monitoring of the intestinal environment is therefore very useful during the treatment.

If the disease responsible for stool discoloration is accompanied by diarrhea, co-treatment of the resultant fluid loss is often indicated. For this purpose, doctors use special infusion therapies to help the body's fluid and electrolyte balance back on track. Further conceivable medicamentous approaches are analgesic and anti-inflammatory preparations. If a drug has even been found as a trigger for the green stool staining, is also thinking about a change of preparation.

In the field of drug therapy doctors use u. a. Infusion therapies to help the body's fluid and electrolyte balance back on track. (Image: Dan Race / fotolia.com)

nutritional intervention

Those who are annoyed by too much leafy green or an unfavorable combination of leafy green and anthocyanins may initially refrain from leafy vegetables and instead switch to other vegetables (such as carrots, tomatoes or red beans). The nutrient requirement of the body can be easily covered with "non-green" alternatives from the field of plant foods. We point out, however, that green stools caused by food dyes are not harmful stool stains, which is why countermeasures are actually unnecessary.

Much more important is a change in diet, however, in a weakened intestinal flora. Patients should consciously resort to more so-called probiotics. Behind it hide food, which is able to bring the intestinal flora by targeted supply of gut-friendly microorganisms back into balance. Above all, dairy products such as probiotic yoghurts, quarks and cheeses are mentioned here. But even fermented foods such as sauerkraut or bread drink contain valuable probiotics.

With regard to diarrhea, nutritional aspects can contribute to the elimination of green stool discolouration. The diarrhea itself usually have an effect desired by the body as a result, because the organism tries to get rid of pollutants and toxins such as pathogens as quickly as possible. For this reason, over-consumption of stuffing foods such as cocoa, chocolate, bananas or white bread should be avoided. However, it is recommended to avoid a fluid loss due to diarrhea. This is best achieved with lightly salted broths and lightly sweetened teas (such as chamomile or fennel). Drink or eat the liquid food in small sips, so that the gastrointestinal tract is not too heavily loaded. In addition to a broth, a piece of rusk can be eaten.

In case of diarrhea, it is advisable to balance the loss of fluid with lightly salted broths and lightly sweetened teas (such as chamomile or fennel). (Image: kasanka19 / fotolia.com)

Important: After surviving diarrhea, the intestinal tract is usually still very weakened and sensitive to a too fast change to the usual diet. It is therefore recommended to sit for about one to two days on light diet and spicy foods, sweet drinks and high-fat meals for the time being to avoid further. Bright bread rolls, rusks, cooked noodles and rice with chicken meat as well as steamed, easily digestible vegetables should dominate the diet for a while even after the end of the diarrheal disease.

Medicinal herbs and homeopathy

Abdominal cramps, or bloated abdomen, as a concomitant symptom of green bowel movements usually respond well to external heat applications. A heat pad on the stomach can quickly relieve pain. Even slight, circular movements on the abdominal wall have a relaxing effect. This effect can be enhanced by an external rub with caraway oil.

To regulate the bile flow and thus reduce the excretion of biliverdin, there are also a few herbs. These include pennyroyal, celandine and Wasserdost. Furthermore, there are special gall drops of Carmol, which contain the active ingredients of artichoke, peppermint and dandelion.

In case of diarrhea the Schuessler salts no. 3 (Ferrum phosphoricum) and no. 4 (potassium chloratum) are recommended in the homeopathic area. They can be let to dissolve slowly in the mouth every 15 minutes as a tablet. The two salts help to quickly control diarrhea in acute situations (for example, during stays away from home). In addition, the salts keep the body's electrolyte balance in balance, which can quickly get out of the lot due to the massive fluid loss due to the diarrhea.

Also worth a recommendation is the use of healing clay in case of diarrheal diseases and green stool discoloration. It binds toxins and pollutants as well as harmful bacteria like a sponge. A solution of one to two teaspoons of healing clay drunk in a glass of lukewarm water three times a day can quickly and effectively bind toxins and bacterial toxins and drain them out of the body.

Attention: In existing intestinal constrictions healing clay should not be used, since the agent due to its high binding capacity holds the risk of intestinal obstruction by constipation.

Operative therapy

Surgical therapy is only necessary in very rare cases in the case of a green bowel movement and only when complications arise. For example, as a result of a massive inflammatory reaction of the intestine, faecal discolouration and indigestion may also lead to the death of intestinal components (intestinal necrosis), or intestinal obstruction (ileus) may result due to disturbances in the intestinal peristalsis. In these cases, action must be taken quickly and the affected intestinal sections surgically removed.

Diseases that can trigger green bowel movements

Intestinal parasites, dysbiosis, colon inflammation, small intestinal inflammation, gastritis, gastrointestinal inflammation, gastric ulcer, gastrointestinal cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, duodenal ulcer, duodenitis, duodenal cancer, duodenal narrowing. (Ma)