The correct and effective treatment of various health problems we are exposed to throughout our lives depends primarily on making the correct diagnosis and planning the appropriate treatment method. In this direction, a wide variety of tests that provide data that can help in the diagnosis of diseases are widely used in clinics. One of these examinations is stool analysis.
What is stool?
Stool; It is the part that is removed from the body together with bile and other body wastes after the foods we eat are digested in our gastrointestinal system and the substances necessary for the body are absorbed. Although it is used synonymously with stool in the clinic; As a more general expression, stool also includes the term “feces” used for the food and waste mixture in the gastrointestinal tract.
In addition to food residues in stool; It contains indigestible substances, bile content, all kinds of microorganisms that survive throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and a certain amount of water content. Depending on the ratio of all these parameters in its content, the consistency, color and odor of stool vary. In this context, stool examinations can provide valuable information about the health of the gastrointestinal system and various disorders in the rest of the body that can directly affect this system. the content of microorganisms that survive throughout; shows that it plays a major role in the development of important health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or cancer, which are common in public life. In this context, stool transplantation method, which aims to reorganize the microorganisms (flora) living in the patient by taking stool samples from healthy people and transferring them to the intestines of the patient, has come to the fore frequently in recent years. In line with all these reasons, it can be said that stool content and stool tests that measure it are increasing day by day.
What is Stool Test?
Detailed examination of stool is important for related diseases related to various changes in stool content. can provide data and can be used to diagnose and treat some diseases. It can help you plan your visit. In this context, various parameters such as the consistency, color and odor of the stool, the characteristics of the food residues, the types and amounts of microorganisms and the content of bile are evaluated.
In the current clinical method, the following examinations can be examined on the stool sample: It is the method of diluting the patient's stool sample and spreading it on the microscope glass and examining it. In this way, parasites and their eggs can be detected, especially in the stool. Similarly, various foreign substances in stool can be detected during microscopy. Before the procedure, stool consistency, color and odor are also evaluated, and important data are obtained about various gastrointestinal diseases. stool culture is used. In this way, infectious agents that can cause diarrhea in stool are reproduced in culture and the diagnosis is made. When necessary, antibiotic resistance tests can be performed on these microorganisms and the most appropriate drug therapy can be determined. By calculating the levels of these enzymes investigated in the stool sample, the underlying cause of the malnutrition can be determined. In this context, the levels of enzymes such as elastase and trypsinogen produced in the gastrointestinal tract and organs such as the pancreas are examined. When the digestion of nutrients such as fat or carbohydrates is disturbed, the building blocks such as fat molecules and glucose that need to be absorbed by the body cannot be absorbed sufficiently and are excreted together with the stool. By means of stool tests, these substances can be detected and the diagnosis of digestive problems can be made.
What to Look for in the Stool Test?
The consistency, color and odor of the stool that are examined first in the stool analysis such as physical properties. According to this; black stools suggest the presence of bleeding from the stomach or upper gastrointestinal tract levels; A light-colored, paste-like stool suggests a biliary tract obstruction leading to impaired fat digestion. Similarly, while mucous stool indicates an infection caused by a bacterial agent; Since petrified stool will occur as a result of a chronic constipation event, it turns the diagnosis into health problems that may cause constipation. Stool culture examination is performed for microorganisms that cannot be detected with a microscope. When disease-causing microorganisms reproduce in a certain number in the culture, the diagnosis of infection is made and drug treatment is planned for this. Similarly, in colostomy cases obtained by mouthing the intestine to the skin in various surgical conditions, when stool leakage occurs at the edge of the region, a sample can be cultured from here in terms of infection. Diagnosis and evaluation of diseases can be made by examining the enzyme levels in stool. Similarly, the high number of nutrients associated with the deficient enzyme level in the stool sheds light on the disruptions in the digestion and absorption processes. In case of deficiencies of some special foods such as various vitamin deficiencies, the absorption of foods can be evaluated by performing stool examination following oral intake of the substance.
What Do Stool Test Results Mean?
Some diseases occurring in our body can directly stool by affecting the intestinal system It can change its content or some disorders in the gastrointestinal system can affect the body in general. In this direction, various data obtained as a result of stool test play an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of the following diseases: microscopy and stool culture provide indispensable data in diagnosis. With the help of these examinations, the most appropriate antibiotic treatment can be decided for the agent. Stool tests are very important in finding the underlying cause of chronic diarrhea caused by chronic diseases such as celiac disease and pancreatitis. The levels of enzymes and food residues in the stool are examined in the detection of diseases that impair their functions. Lactose intolerance: In case of bloating and gas complaints due to the increase in the carbohydrate content of the stool, the intestinal bacteria fermenting this content, the presence of a reducing agent formed by fermentation in the stool is investigated. In this way, the diagnosis of diseases such as lactose intolerance that seriously affect the quality of life can be made.
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