What Causes Unusual Stool Color?

Unusual stool color can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'very serious'. 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 unusual stool color, 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 "unusual stool color" as a symptom. Here are five possibilities:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Parasite Infection
Rapid Stool Passage
Crohn's Disease
Gallbladder Disease

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:

chronic abdominal pain

moderate periumbilical pain

history of birth control pill use

pain after large/fatty/night meal

current birth control pill use

meals worsen top-right abdomen pain

major right iliac pain after food

regular episodes of diarrhea

dark urine color

severe flatulence

recent onset diarrhea

meal-induced pain for 1-4 weeks

... and more than 80 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of unusual stool color:

Cause	Probability	Status
Rapid Stool Passage	94%	Confirm
Crohn's Disease	21%	Unlikely
Gallbladder Disease	3%	Ruled out
Parasite Infection	0%	Ruled out
Irritable Bowel Syndrome	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.

If you indicate irregular stools, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Other than black/tarry, pale or blood-colored stools, do you regularly have stools of any other unusual color? Do not include color that results from obvious causes such as drugs, food colorings or colorful foods.

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ No
→ Yes, green
→ Yes, orange
→ Yes, other color (please add a note)

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate no unusual stool color, green stool color, orange stool color or unusual stool color, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Gallbladder Disease

Gallstones block the bile ducts, which deliver bile from the gallbladder (where it is stored) to the intestines, where it helps to digest fat. One effect of bile is to turn stool brown.

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome can lead to faster movement of bile through the intestinal tract, which impairs nutrient absorption and changes the normal makeup of stool. This in turn can affect the color of stool, making it green or orange.

Parasite Infection

Some types of parasite are known to change stool color.

Rapid Intestinal Transit

A green or greenish stool is usually due to rapid transit of food through the intestines. Bile is green and gradually changes to brown through the digestive process, which takes time. If the food is moving too fast, there is not enough time for this chemical change to take place.

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