What Causes Foul-Smelling Flatulence?

Foul-smelling flatulence can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'minor' to 'needs attention'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose foul-smelling flatulence, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "foul-smelling flatulence" as a symptom. Here are four possibilities:

Carbohydrate Intolerance
Enteritis
Gastroenteritis
Lactose Intolerance

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

meal-related bloating

bloating caused by many foods

regular episodes of diarrhea

Asian ethnicity

African ethnicity

frequent episodes of diarrhea

recent onset vomiting

frequent unexplained vomiting

having watery stools

having a moderate fever

acute abdominal pain

chronic diarrhea

... and more than 10 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of foul-smelling flatulence:

Cause	Probability	Status
Lactose Intolerance	96%	Confirm
Enteritis	28%	Unlikely
Carbohydrate Intolerance	5%	Ruled out
Gastroenteritis	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Gastrointestinal Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about foul-smelling gas:

When you pass gas ("fart"), how does it usually smell?

Possible responses:

→ Don't know / it varies a lot / don't want to know!
→ Usually odorless
→ Usually about 'normal' / 'noticeable'
→ It varies between 'normal' and terrible
→ Usually terrible / people run away screaming

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate odorless flatulence, 'normal'-smelling flatulence, foul-smelling flatulence or very foul-smelling flatulence, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Carbohydrate Intolerance

Enteritis

Gastroenteritis

Infections of the digestive tract can lead to foul-smelling flatulence. There are many different bacteria and viruses that can cause infections in the lining of the digestive tract. Some of these may be associated with traveling to different parts of the world; infections are usually accompanied by gas, diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain.

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose is the sugar found in dairy products. When we don't have enough of the enzyme necessary to break down lactose, it remains in our digestive tract for odor-causing bacteria to feed on.

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™