Coprogram of feces: decoding, norms in children. Plant fiber indigestible in the feces of a child and an adult, reasons for what to do

The food consumed by a person is first crushed in the oral cavity, moistened with saliva and passing through the digestive system, in the large intestine it is converted into feces. Different parts of the digestive tract are responsible for the gradual digestion and absorption of nutrients.

The composition of the feces can speak not only, but also inform about which particular section of the gastrointestinal tract has ceased to function normally. Therefore, in order to diagnose some diseases, the doctor resorts to prescribing a fecal analysis - a coprogram.

Muscle fibers are not normally found in feces

In order to prescribe a coprogram, the doctor must have certain grounds. It may be shown in the following situations:

in the diagnosis of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract
on suspicion of
in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy

Comprehensive preventive examinations also involve the analysis of feces. With the help of a coprogram, you can determine various disorders in the child's digestive system:

In order for the coprogram to bring reliable results, it is necessary to follow certain rules when collecting feces. A couple of days before the analysis, you should stop eating dishes containing meat and affecting the coloring of feces.

These include various green vegetables, tomatoes, red fish. They are able to distort the result of the coprogram when searching for occult blood in the patient's feces. Sometimes, the doctor independently prescribes a special diet for the patient. The products prescribed by her contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats in a certain amount.

This creates the maximum load on the digestive system, as a result of which stool analysis helps to detect any, even the slightest deviation in the digestive processes. Before analysis, you should avoid taking various drugs and drugs that affect intestinal motility. Taking antibiotics, drugs that include iron and bismuth, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs should also be postponed.

People who have had a barium X-ray or need to wait a few days for the analysis. It is not advisable for women to donate feces for a coprogram during menstruation. People suffering from hemorrhoids should postpone testing until the problem is corrected if the hemorrhoids bleed.

The stools for analysis must be obtained naturally. It is recommended to donate feces that are obtained as a result of a morning bowel movement. Evening samples can be stored in the refrigerator for up to ten hours. The material for analysis is collected in a special sterile container. It will be enough to collect 15 g of material for analysis.

A coprogram is a fecal analysis performed to confirm various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It can also be used for complex preventive examinations.

What can microscopic examination of feces reveal?

Coprogram: transcript

Assimilation of food is a complex mechanism of interaction between various organs of the human digestive system. It begins in the oral cavity and proceeds throughout the digestive tract, up to the anus. Food processing occurs not only at the mechanical level, but also at the chemical level - as a result of the action of gastric juice and various enzymes on nutrients.

With the help of microscopic examination of feces, it is possible to determine which foods eaten by the patient are poorly digested. Based on the information received, the specialist can determine which person has.

Cal in its normal form is a homogeneous mixture of various substances, which consists of products obtained as a result of secretion and excretion of the digestive tract, the remains of undigested or poorly digested food, particles of the upper tissues of the intestine and its. When conducting a coprogram, the homogeneity of feces is defined as detritus. With normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, food is processed well and detritus has a more uniform appearance.

In the event of the development of any disorders in the patient's digestive system, the food is not fully digested, therefore, undigested remnants of consumed foods begin to appear in the feces. So, among the remains of animal products, fats and muscle fibers can be found in feces.

Plant foods are presented in the analysis in the form of fiber and starch. All these components, present to varying degrees in the analysis material, can tell about specific diseases of the patient's digestive system. The quality of human life depends on the efficiency of the digestive system of the body. Food is the main source of various nutrients that the body needs to meet all its needs.

Microscopic examination of stool masses can tell you how efficiently the digestive system is doing its job. Depending on the presence of various components in the feces, the doctor diagnoses this or that deviation from the norm and determines its cause.

Causes of the appearance of muscle fibers in the feces

Elements of animal products, presented in the analysis in the form of muscle fibers, can be divided into three types:

altered fibers (digested food)
low-modified fibers (poorly digested food)
unchanged fiber (undigested food)

Fibers of various types have characteristic shape features. Fibers that are completely digested do not have a clear striation and are presented in the form of small lumps.

Undigested fibers are characterized by an elongated cylindrical shape, in which their transverse striation and sharpness of the corners can be clearly defined. Weakly digested fibers also differ in a cylindrical shape, but have a longitudinal striation, and their corners have a more smoothed appearance.

Gastric juice, which acts on the fibers during digestion, disrupts their structure, longitudinal and transverse striation. The final digestion of the fibers occurs in, where they are affected by the pancreatic juice produced by the pancreas.

Feces of a healthy person who eats products of both plant and animal origin are not marked by the presence of fibers at all, or they can be found in very small quantities. The appearance of muscle fibers in the feces is called creatorrhoea and may indicate various pathologies of the stomach and pancreas.

To identify any diseases of the digestive system, first of all, an analysis of feces is performed - a coprogram. A coprogram is an analysis of the chemical, physical and microscopic characteristics of feces, as well as other components and inclusions of various origins.

This study allows you to make the correct diagnosis, control the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and timely detect certain pathological processes taking place in the body. With the help of a coprogram, problems such as malabsorption of food, lack of digestive enzymes, inflammation in the intestines, disruption of the stomach, accelerated passage of food, etc. can be diagnosed.

Any special preparation or diet for the collection of this analysis is usually not required. However, a week before the delivery of feces, it is better to stop taking drugs that can affect its color (barium sulfate, bismuth, iron) and lead to increased intestinal motility. It is also not recommended to do an enema, put rectal suppositories and take special laxatives.

Feces must be collected in a sterile container with a tightly closed airtight lid after self-emptying of the intestine. It is advisable to deliver the container to the laboratory that will conduct the study during the day. It is necessary to store the jar with the analysis in the refrigerator.

Shape and texture of stool

The shape of the feces largely depends on its consistency, and the consistency, in turn, is determined by the content of water, fiber and fat in the feces. Normally, feces should have a cylindrical shape and a homogeneous, fairly dense consistency. Water makes up almost 80% of feces, but with constipation, this figure drops to 70-75%, while with diarrhea, on the contrary, it increases to 90%.

If a person consumes a large amount of vegetable fiber, which enhances intestinal motility, his feces may have a mushy form due to insufficient absorption of water. When eating a significant amount of meat, the shape of the stool becomes more dense. Loose stools are characteristic of food poisoning, frothy stools often indicate the presence of fermentative dyspepsia.

With constipation, the feces are usually very dense, which is often the result of low water intake. The ribbon-like shape of the feces indicates the possible presence of a tumor in the rectum or sphincter spasm. Lumpy stools (“sheep feces”) are observed in spastic colitis. If there is an abundant release of fat in the feces, its consistency is called ointment. This picture can be observed in chronic pancreatitis, blockage of the bile duct.

Amount of feces

Usually, a decrease in the amount of fecal excretion by the body occurs due to prolonged constipation, which is caused by chronic colitis, dehydration, intestinal ulcers, etc. With inflammation and diarrhea, fecal excretion, on the contrary, increases.

stool color

The color of the feces of a healthy person should have different shades of brown, which is due to the presence of stercobilin in the feces - the final product of pigment metabolism. The color of the feces is influenced by the food and medicines taken. When eating mainly meat products, a dark brown color of the stool appears, plant foods - light brown. Eating a lot of green vegetables can give your stool a slightly green tint.

With a diet rich in dairy products, the feces become yellow (this is the color of the stool in infants who consume breast milk). Fecal masses of a reddish hue occur when using beets and red grapes, black color is caused by taking iron, bismuth, activated charcoal, coffee, blackcurrant preparations. From products containing carotene (pumpkin, carrots) there may be an orange stool. Thus, with the exclusion of staining of feces with food or drugs, a change in its color is due to a pathological process in the intestine.

Reddish-brown stool usually indicates bleeding in the lower intestine due to hemorrhoids, anal fissure. Black coloring of feces indicates the presence of bleeding in the upper intestine with a duodenal ulcer or cancer. Green color is typical for such a phenomenon as dysbacteriosis, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the small intestine, or accelerated evacuation of food. A whitish-gray color of the stool often occurs with diseases of the gallbladder and liver.

Smell of feces

The smell of feces is normally unpleasant, but not sharp, and usually depends on the food consumed by a person. It is determined by the presence in it of such aromatic substances as skatole, phenol, indole, etc., formed during the bacterial breakdown of proteins. With the predominance of meat food in the diet, the smell of feces is more pronounced. If a person consumes more vegetable or dairy foods, the smell is less noticeable.

Due to absorption into the intestines of the breakdown product of proteins during constipation, feces are practically odorless. With diarrhea, on the contrary, the smell of the stool is very specific. In people suffering from fermentative dyspepsia (the so-called indigestion, which is associated with a large consumption of sugar, fruits, flour, legumes, kvass), there is a sour smell of feces.

With putrefactive dyspepsia (digestion problems associated with the consumption of large amounts of protein foods that are slowly digested in the intestines), feces acquire a putrid unpleasant odor. Also, a similar smell is characteristic of colitis in combination with constipation. If a person has disorders in the pancreas or there is no flow of bile in the digestive tract, a sharp fetid odor of feces may appear.

fecal reaction

It is believed that normally the reaction of feces should be neutral, slightly acidic or slightly alkaline. Basically, the ph of feces depends on the microflora that inhabits the intestines. If there is an increase in the processes of decay of proteins that are not digested enough in the small intestine and stomach, ammonia is formed, giving the stool an alkaline reaction (pH 8.0-10.0). With an increase in fermentation processes, the iodophilic flora is activated, carbon dioxide and free organic acids are released, which in turn shifts the reaction to a more acidic side (pH 5.0-6.5).

The food consumed by a person, and more specifically the predominance of protein or plant foods, has a significant effect on the ph of stool. With a mixed diet, feces have a slightly alkaline or neutral reaction. If a person consumes mainly plant foods, the reaction of feces becomes more alkaline. The meat diet gives an acidic reaction. In principle, the determination of fecal ph has no significant diagnostic value, so the values \u200b\u200bmay fluctuate, and this will not be considered pathological.

Connective tissue in the stool

Connective tissue is called undigested particles of meat food that got into the feces. If you look at it under a microscope, you will see whitish-gray patches with a fibrous structure. Sometimes the connective tissue can be mistaken for mucus, but it usually differs in a clearer outline and in its density. Normally, there should be no connective tissue in the feces.

Its presence in the feces indicates a lack or absence of hydrochloric acid or a decrease in the acidity of gastric juice, since it is with the help of gastric juice that the connective tissue in the body is digested. Thus, meat food without hydrochloric acid cannot be subjected to primary processing, which naturally reduces the quality of its digestion and proper assimilation in the digestive tract.

The presence of connective tissue in the feces sometimes indicates a lack of pancreatic function, a lack of its enzymes, which leads to incomplete breakdown of the food consumed and, as a result, the appearance of connective tissue. At the same time, a small amount of connective tissue in the feces is also acceptable in a healthy person with improved digestion, if he has eaten raw or poorly cooked, fried meat.

Muscle fibers

Detection of muscle fibers in the feces occurs when protein foods (mainly fish and meat) are not digested in the digestive tract and enter the feces. Muscle fibers are divided into several types:

Digested (altered)

In appearance, they resemble small lumps of various sizes with rounded edges without pronounced striation.

Insufficiently digested (little modified)

Such fibers are usually cylindrical in shape and have a longitudinal striation, the corners are smoothed.

Undigested (unchanged)

Undigested fibers are characterized by an elongated cylindrical shape with obvious sharp corners and pronounced striation.

Normally, in healthy people, muscle fibers in the feces should not be detected or may be present in small quantities. If there are a large number of muscle fibers in the feces, this is a symptom of creatorrhea. Creatorrhoea appears when there is insufficient release of hydrochloric acid for the digestion of food, and meat food is not properly processed.

It is also characteristic of patients with impaired pancreatic function with a lack of necessary enzymes that are involved in the breakdown of proteins. In a child up to a year old, consuming meat food, an increased number of muscle fibers is often found in the coprogram, which only indicates the immaturity of the digestive system of young children. As the body grows, food begins to be absorbed better.

Fatty acids, soaps and neutral fat in feces

Normally, the feces of a healthy person should not contain neutral fat and its decay products - soaps and fatty acids, because fat from food is usually absorbed by 90-98%. Only a small amount of soap is allowed.

The presence in the feces of a large amount of neutral fat and its breakdown products is called steatorrhea. The causes of steatorrhea are as follows:

Violation of the pancreas

A decrease in the activity of the main enzyme involved in the process of digestion of fats - lipase, leads to incomplete absorption of dietary fats and, as a result, the presence of neutral fat in the feces.

Malabsorption of fat in the intestine and accelerated evacuation of food

A failure in the process of moving food through the small intestine leads to the fact that products, including fats, simply do not have time to be completely digested.

Sometimes fats in the feces appear due to excessive consumption of fatty foods, the use of some rectal suppositories, castor oil. In children, fats in the feces indicate the immaturity of the enzyme system.

Violation of the flow of bile into the intestines

Insufficient flow of bile into the intestines greatly affects the absorption of fats in the body. Fat cannot dissolve in water and therefore cannot be properly digested by aqueous solutions of enzymes.

Digestible and indigestible plant fiber in feces

Vegetable fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes and belongs to the group of complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides). In the human body, there are no digestive enzymes that can break down fiber, so only a small part of it is digested with the help of beneficial intestinal microflora. The rest is removed from the body unchanged, which is the norm.

Fiber irritates the intestinal wall, causing it to contract and move food and subsequently remove undigested substances from the body. It maintains the balance of microflora in the human intestine, since the beneficial bacteria that live in the intestine feed on coarse dietary fiber.

Fiber is digestible and indigestible. Digestible fiber is a round-shaped cell with a thin, easily collapsing shell. A layer of pectin binds the cells of digestible fiber to each other and first dissolves under the influence of gastric juice, and then in the duodenum.

If the body produces an insufficient amount of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice, vegetable fiber is found in the feces as a cluster of cells (potatoes, beets, carrots). In this regard, even when eating a large amount of vegetables and fruits, a person may not get useful nutrients from fiber.

Indigestible vegetable fiber is a thick double-circuit shell, which contains lignin, which gives the fiber rigidity and a solid structure. It includes the epidermis of cereal crops, plant hairs, their vessels, the skin of vegetables and fruits. Usually the presence of indigestible fiber in the human body depends on what he eats.

In the feces of a healthy person who eats plant foods, normally digestible plant fiber should not be present. Indigestible is always found and can be in different quantities. A large amount of digestible fiber in the feces indicates a decrease in the acidity of gastric juice, problems with the pancreas, and accelerated evacuation of food from the intestines. If a person consumes a lot of fiber, it may not have time to be digested properly and, as a result, be found in the analysis of feces.

Starch in stool

Starch is the complex and most abundant carbohydrate (polysaccharide) in the human diet. It can be found in almost all plant foods consumed by people on a daily basis (rice, corn, millet, potatoes, legumes, rye, oats). The process of starch digestion begins in the human mouth. First, food is mixed with saliva containing the digestive enzyme amylase, then in the stomach until it mixes with gastric juice.

After that, food from the stomach enters the intestines and mixes with pancreatic juice, which contains a more effective amylase than salivary amylase. Digestion of food ends in the small intestine and the end product of the breakdown of starch is glucose, which is absorbed by the body. Normally, there should be no starch in the feces.

With problems with digestion, starch in feces can be in the form of intracellular and extracellular grains. The presence of starch in the stool is called amylorrhea. The detection of a large number of starch grains in the feces is characteristic of dysfunctions of the pancreas and stomach, and is also often found with accelerated intestinal motility during diarrhea.

Iodophilic flora in feces

The intestinal microflora consists of a collection of microorganisms that perform various vital functions. Each person has its own, but among all the microorganisms that inhabit the intestines, the beneficial flora, representatives of which are lacto and bifidobacteria, should prevail. The latter should represent more than 90% of all bacteria living in the intestines, and all immunity rests on them.

If the number of lacto or bifidobacteria decreases, pathogenic flora takes their place. Iodophilic flora in human stool indicates an imbalance of beneficial bacteria in the intestine and should normally be either absent or present in a minimal amount. Iodophilic microorganisms include staphylococci, enterococci, Escherichia coli, yeast fungi, and other bacteria that have the ability to turn dark when interacting with iodine solutions.

Detection of iodophilic flora in the stool is not necessarily a sign of bowel disease. When assessing the presence of bacteria in the analysis, it is necessary to take into account the nature of the patient's diet on the eve of the delivery of the coprogram, since the appearance of iodophilic flora may be the result of fermentative dyspepsia due to excessive intake of carbohydrates from food. The presence of iodophilic bacteria also occurs when the pancreas malfunctions and gastric digestion is disturbed.

Mucus in stool

Mucus is called some iron-like secretions of a light color in the form of strands, lumps or a vitreous mass. In a healthy person, mucus should not be found in the stool, because when it enters the large intestine, it is completely mixed with feces and is not excreted as a separate substance. Normally, a small amount of mucus may be present in the analysis, since the presence of mucus in the stool may appear when certain foods are consumed or a runny nose.

The presence of mucus in the coprogram of a child up to a year old may occur, but there should be no pungent odor, blood, or discoloration of the stool. Mucus should be a little. If mucus is found in large quantities, this may indicate an inflammatory process in the intestines or an intestinal infection.

Leukocytes in feces

Leukocytes are called white blood cells, the purpose of which is the fight against infectious agents. In the presence of an inflammatory process in the human body, leukocytes increase. In a healthy person, leukocytes in the stool are found in a single amount. If there are significantly more of them, this is a signal that there is inflammation in the intestines, the cause of which is most often a gastrointestinal infection, enteritis, colitis, erosive changes in the mucous membrane, etc.

The presence of leukocytes in the feces is considered only in conjunction with the patient's complaints and the study of the overall clinical picture, since their presence alone cannot give an accurate assessment of the state of human health.

erythrocytes in feces

Erythrocytes are red blood cells containing hemoglobin. In a healthy person, they should be absent in the feces. Their presence in the stool may indicate hemorrhoids, anal fissures, polyps, ulcers, bleeding in the digestive tract. There are two sources for the appearance of red blood cells (that is, blood) in the feces: the upper section (stomach and small intestine) and the lower (large intestine, rectum and anus).

If there is bleeding from the upper digestive tract, the blood is dark or even black. In the lower section, blood usually mixes with feces and is present on surfaces or toilet paper. If bleeding is suspected in the upper intestine, an occult blood test based on the determination of hemoglobin is prescribed.

A positive result of such an analysis can indicate not only serious problems, but also be noted with bleeding gums and eating certain foods. Therefore, before passing this analysis, it is recommended to refrain from eating meat and fish for several days.

epithelium in feces

Epithelium is the cells that line the cavity and surface of the body, the mucous membrane of internal organs, the genitourinary tract, the respiratory system, and the lining of the digestive tract. Its main function is to protect the body from mechanical damage and infectious agents. In the analysis of human feces, columnar and squamous epithelium can normally be detected. Cylindrical has the shape of a cylinder - this type of epithelium enters the feces from all parts of the intestine.

The cells of the squamous epithelium are quite dense and durable, their detection in the feces as it is correct does not have any diagnostic value. They enter the feces from the anus. A small amount of intestinal epithelium can be found in the analysis of feces. This is a consequence of the so-called process of physiological desquamation. If many cells of the cylindrical epithelium are found, as well as mucus, leukocytes and erythrocytes are present in the feces, this indicates an inflammatory process in the intestinal mucosa and requires treatment.

Stercobilin in feces

Stercobilin is a special bile pigment that is formed in the human large intestine during the processing of bilirubin. It is he who gives the feces its usual brown color. Stercobilin in the stool increases with increased bile secretion and hemolytic anemia. A decrease or absence of this pigment indicates the patient may have pancreatitis, hepatitis or other liver damage, cholelithiasis, cholangitis, or even jaundice.

Presence of bilirubin in feces

A healthy person should normally not have bilirubin in the feces. However, there is an exception for children who are breastfed. Bilirubin may be present in their feces up to 9 months of age. The presence of bilirubin in the feces of an adult indicates a violation of the restoration of bilirubin in the intestine when exposed to microbes.

It can be detected with accelerated evacuation of intestinal contents, neglected dysbacteriosis (increased growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the colon), often as a result of prolonged use of antibiotics. If both stercobilin and bilirubin are detected in the analysis of feces, this indicates the displacement of the normal intestinal flora by the pathogenic flora and requires adjustment with drugs with beneficial bacteria.

Soluble protein in feces

Soluble protein in feces is called calprotectin. Normally, it should not be detected in the analysis of feces. The appearance of calprotectin in human feces often indicates diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, gastritis, pancreatitis, putrefactive dyspepsia, and massive intestinal bleeding. Also, the presence of soluble protein in the feces can indicate obesity, allergies to dairy products, celiac disease.

Worm eggs and protozoa in stool

The presence of eggs of worms and protozoa (giardia, dysenteric amoeba, etc.) in the feces indicates helminthic invasion and invasion by protozoa and requires mandatory treatment.

Yeast fungi in stool

Often, the cause of the appearance of fungi in the intestines can be prolonged use of antibiotics, a history of diabetes mellitus, as well as a weakening of human immunity. Yeast fungi are found as spores, yeast cells, mycelium and pseudomycelium.

Calcium oxalate crystals in stool

The presence of calcium oxalates in the analysis of feces indicates achlorhydria (the absence of free hydrochloric acid in human gastric juice).

Tripelphosphate crystals in feces

If crystals of trippelphosphates are found in fresh human feces, this indicates an increase in the process of protein decay in the large intestine.

Normally, in perfectly healthy children, small particles of undigested rough food, represented by nuts, peels of vegetables and fruits, can periodically be observed in the feces. The stool reflects all the features of digestion and nutrition of the child. It is worth noting that in the feces of an adult, two types of fiber can be found - digestible and indigestible.

Such analyzes not only show how correctly or incorrectly the body functions, but also help to identify exactly what the essence of the violations is. It may well be that the food was not of proper quality. A similar condition can occur with gross violations of the diet by a nursing mother, as well as with overfeeding a child and non-compliance with his diet.

Normal indicators of the coprogram

It is worth noting that sometimes indigestion of fiber in babies can occur due to disorders in the pancreas. But such problems are usually manifested by other more pronounced disorders of well-being. So, if such a problem arose during diet violations, you need to stop consuming an excessive amount of vegetable fiber and provide the baby with a competent balanced diet.

Treatment of disorders in the activity of the pancreas is carried out only under the supervision of a qualified gastroenterologist. The first is usually observed in digestion products due to a deficiency of hydrochloric acid, which separates the cells of digestible fiber. With insufficient production of this substance, pieces of vegetables or fruits appear in the feces, of course, the beneficial substances from them cannot be absorbed by the body.

If you find such a symptom against the background of absolute health and normal well-being, you just need to change your diet. Reduce the amount of plant foods, make the diet balanced.

In case of violations of the digestibility of food in children or adults, it is better to seek medical help as soon as possible. Brew a couple of tablespoons of the resulting mixture in a thermos with half a liter of boiling water. Infuse the medicine throughout the night - for seven to eight hours, then strain.

Principles of correction of digestive disorders

Grind all the ingredients and mix them well together. The preparation and administration of this medicine is carried out in the same way as in the previous version. Grind ten to fifteen fruits thinner and pour half a liter of vodka. Send such a medicine under the lid to the cabinet and infuse at room temperature for two weeks.

I ask everyone to be TACTICAL and EMpathetic to those who need it, SUPPORT each other. Thank you. 2 times with a difference of 2 months, there was treatment between these tests, but the results are still fig .. The appearance in the feces of a large number of starch grains (amilorrhea) indicates, first of all, a sharp acceleration of intestinal motility and an accelerated advancement of food chyme (diarrhea) .

let's talk about ... the intestines

A noticeable presence of mucus in the feces can be a sign of an inflammatory process in the intestines. Mucus may indicate an intestinal infection, which is usually accompanied by pain and diarrhea. I don't understand any of this. We have a federal scientific institute of pediatric gastroenterology in our city. There and with allergies obscure are examined. 2 days a chair, but rather due to the fact that she is shy in the kindergarten and keeps it in herself, and then it becomes difficult to go.

There is a scientific institute - everything is there and there are many departments. And in general, my aunt has been sitting there alone for many years in the consultation room. She is the only one there oak by oak. We always write out everything under my dictation. Her whole consultation consists in assessing whether it is necessary to go to bed with them or not. In May we were there for the last time - we were from Astrakhan and from Mordovia.

Mucus in the stool, in the absence of other symptoms, is not something out of the ordinary and requires treatment. Increased starch content in feces can be due to eating a large amount of carbohydrates. They contain lignin, which gives the fiber its hardness and rigidity. Indigestible fiber includes the skin of fruits and vegetables, the vessels and hairs of plants, the epidermis of cereals, etc. Fiber is practically not digested and absorbed by the body, because the human body does not have digestive enzymes that can break it down.

Our children are our everything! Good digestion of the baby is the key to his health, proper growth and development. Every caring mother carefully monitors the proper nutrition of her child. And every mother understands that undigested food in the feces of a child is a signal that something is wrong with the tummy. It is important to identify the cause in time and eliminate it. To do this, you need to pass an analysis on the digestibility of food. Such an analysis is called It includes macroscopic and microscopic examination of feces.

Macroscopic examination of feces

Macroscopic analysis of feces allows you to evaluate its main characteristics with the naked eye. Visually, you can determine the amount of feces, its consistency, shape, color, the presence of visible remnants of digested food, pathological impurities (mucus, fat, blood, etc.). Also, the main characteristics include the smell of feces. To understand if the stool is broken, the mother needs to know how it should be normal. "Normal" for each age has its own. Consistency, shape, color and smell change not only with age, but also with food. Greens, spinach color feces greenish, beets reddish, carrots orange. However, too green feces may indicate dysbacteriosis. Green frothy stools occur when there is a lack of lactase in the child's body, which is needed to absorb the sugar in the composition of milk and dairy products.

The very first "achievement" of the intestines within two days after birth is the passage of meconium, it is black and does not smell. Meconium is mainly intestinal cells and amniotic fluid that the baby has swallowed. In the baby, i.e. a child under one year old, feces gradually change their characteristics. The transition from meconium to mature stool is called intermediate stool. As soon as the function of milk secretion is established in the mother, a mature stool is formed. In a breastfed baby, the frequency of stools usually coincides with the frequency of feeding. Mature feces are mushy, the color is light yellow, and the smell is “sour”. At 4 months, the first complementary foods of the baby usually begin. As soon as an artificial mixture is added to the baby's diet, the feces begin to "smell badly." The frequency of stool should be at least 1-3 times a day. A chair less than once a day is constipation.

In babies aged after a year of life, the feces are already quite formed, have a brown color, and an unexpressed fecal smell. Feces should not be liquid, it should not contain undigested food. Undigested pieces of food in the stool are a sign of indigestion. In a child of 3 years, stools can be frequent - 3-4 times a day. This is not a violation if you feel good. At 10 years of age, stools can have a frequency of 3-4 times a week. Often this depends on what kind of food the child prefers, and can also be the norm if there are no complaints. At this age, a violation of the stool should be said if it has become frequent and too liquid, moreover, with various impurities.

Microscopy provides information on what exactly the undigested pieces of food in the feces consist of:

muscle fibers (normally should not be present in feces with good digestion);
neutral fat (traces);
fatty acids (traces);
connective tissue (absence);
soaps (minor presence);
vegetable fiber or cellulose (a small amount of digestible fiber in the feces is acceptable, and undigested fiber in the feces of a child can be in any amount);
starch (its absence or slight presence in feces is considered the norm);
iodophilic flora (normally absent);
leukocytes (1–2 in the field of view);
mucus (in the feces is acceptable in small quantities);
epithelium (1–2 in the field of view).

We will tell you more about some elements of food origin. may be undigested (unchanged) or incompletely digested (changed). Altered muscle fibers are found if the source of the problem is “below” the stomach, and unchanged ones are found if the food has not been processed in the stomach itself.

Plant fiber is carbohydrate. Namely, the cell wall of plants, hence its name - fiber. It is rich in vegetables and fruits, such as apples, carrots, potatoes. Vegetable fiber (vegetable fibers) in the body is practically not digested, because there are no necessary enzymes for its breakdown. But the child needs it in order to mechanically irritate the intestinal walls. At the same time, the intestines begin to contract, and food moves forward. Fiber also feeds on the “good” bacteria of the intestinal microflora. There are two types of fiber in feces. Indigestible fiber is often found during teething.

The appearance of indigestible fiber in the feces, in combination with other symptoms, may indicate dysbacteriosis. Digestible fiber, despite the name, is not digested by the body, but in the stomach, its cells are separated under the influence of hydrochloric acid. Such fiber in the feces increases with rapid bowel movements (diarrhea), a decrease in the acidity of the stomach, if the function of the pancreas suffers, or there is ulcerative colitis.

Often you can find detritus in a coprogram, and the question arises: what is it? Detritus in the feces is detected with microscopia. These are small undigested particles of food, as well as microparticles of destroyed bacteria. These particles are waste.

If there are a lot of these particles, then your child's digestive system is working well. An increase in detritus in the feces in the absence of other changes is the norm.

Causes of pieces of food in the stool

Consider the reasons why undigested food appears in a child's feces. Eating in feces can be the result of many factors:

features of the digestive system and dysfunction of organs;
malnutrition (frequency of meals, quantity of food and its quality);
infections and inflammation of the digestive system;
dysbacteriosis.

The newborn has all the enzymes necessary for digestion, but the activity of the glands that produce these enzymes is low. In children of the first months of life, hydrochloric acid is practically not produced. Therefore, proteins are not completely broken down, and for the breakdown of fats, the enzyme lipase is needed, which in an infant comes mainly with mother's milk. The intestinal microflora is formed gradually.

Intestinal colonization with bacteria is called bacterial infection. This is a natural, normal process, but if there is more bad microflora than good, then the child develops dysbacteriosis, toxins accumulate. It is important to note that the formation of toxins in the intestines is facilitated by particles of undigested food by the body.

Undigested feces can take many forms, depending on the cause of the child's indigestion. If poorly digested food remains are found in the feces, and the stool itself has become unstable, then the problem is usually related to the stomach. Fecal analysis reveals intact muscle fibers, as well as intracellular starch, connective tissue, and undigested fiber.

If you find fatty spots on the feces or notice a shiny, plentiful greasy feces in a child that is gray-yellow in color, which smells like rancid butter and does not wash off well, then you need to urgently contact a gastroenterologist. Possible cause - problems with the pancreas. In the microscopic analysis of feces, a huge amount of fat (neutral), altered (digested) muscle fibers, and starch will be revealed. Additional tests: Ultrasound of the pancreas and the level of amylase (pancreatic enzyme) in the urine.

If the stool has acquired a grayish-white color and a greasy sheen, it means that little bile enters the intestines. In the analysis of feces - a lot of soap and a large amount of fatty acids in the form of crystals. Additional analysis - determination of the amount of stercobillin in feces. Stercobillin is a processed bilirubin that comes from bile.

If you see blood in the stool, pay attention to whether the child has pain during a bowel movement, especially rhythmic. Causes: from a banal anal fissure to a serious intestinal infection.

Tar-like stools (in children of preschool and school age) indicate bleeding from the stomach or duodenum.

What does stool with mucus indicate? If a little, then this is considered the norm. Due to intestinal spasms, mucus may increase in the feces, but its large amount is a sign of inflammation of the colon mucosa.

How to treat?

Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a neonatologist and gastroenterologist and pediatrician. If a child older than a year has loose stools, abdominal pain and temperature, hospitalization is necessary. The pediatrician will prescribe the necessary tests, ultrasound of the abdominal organs. If a child has severe diarrhea, it is necessary to restore the water balance of the body. The pediatrician prescribes rehydron. The dose is selected depending on age. If the child was diagnosed with dysbacteriosis, then prebiotics are prescribed, milk, cottage cheese and other sour-milk products are added to the diet, if the child does not have lactase deficiency.

It is felt by us not only by some sensations in the epigastric region, but also by the color, appearance and smell of feces. Most often, such studies are carried out by young mothers, since the feces of a newborn are a significant indicator of the health of the baby. But adults should also pay attention to the fact that there is undigested food in the feces.

Is it a pathology or a variant of the norm?

Each of us knows firsthand about the change in color, smell and consistency of feces, because indigestion, infections, and constipation happen to everyone at least once in a lifetime. But undigested food fragments can cause real panic in some. Under normal conditions, the feces do not contain any inclusions, lumps, pieces of undigested food, mucus, blood, etc. Very small white blotches can be present in both children's feces and adults - this is a variant of the norm. The remains of undigested food in the feces do not always indicate poor functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Insufficiently digested food can be a consequence of infectious diseases, constipation or indigestion. In most cases, the appearance of undigested food fragments does not mean that a person is sick. It’s just that the human gastrointestinal tract is not able to digest some products or parts of them. Why is this happening? To understand this, you need to know at least a little about what happens to food during the passage of the digestive tract.

What food should remain undigested?

Plant foods contain two types of fiber: digestible and indigestible. The first type should not remain in the feces in the form of fragments. If this still happens, it indicates that the stomach produces hydrochloric acid in insufficient volume. The same can be said if the excrement contains practically whole pieces of vegetables and fruits. But bran, peel, seeds, partitions, stem fibers contain indigestible fiber. It is found in the coarsest parts of plants, covered with a double shell and consisting of cellulose and lignin and incapable of digestion in the human stomach.

So the detection of fragmentary residues of indigestible fiber in the feces does not mean pathology, it is a physiological phenomenon.

When overeating

In addition, there is, so to speak, a limit to the amount of food that our stomach and intestines can handle at a time. If you overeat, then the body simply cannot produce as many enzymes and enzymes, so part of the food will remain undigested. This process is also quite normal and is not considered a pathology. The digestive process can be disrupted by physical activity immediately after a large meal, as well as eating when sick or under stress. Eating should be carried out in a calm atmosphere and in a normal mode. After the meal, you need to take a short break in your activities. In this situation, the body directs the right amount of resources for digestion, and the food is digested completely. If you notice undigested food in the stool systematically, then this indicates that the pancreas, stomach or small intestine are working in an emergency mode and need some help. It is these organs that are responsible for the breakdown of products into proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

What are the reasons?

Undigested food in the stool (lienterea) in adults is most often detected due to the presence of chronic inflammation in the stomach (gastritis) or pancreas (pancreatitis). It is necessary to start treating these diseases as soon as possible, since the inflammation will worsen over time, which will eventually lead to tissue death.

And over time, an ulcer, diabetes, oncology can develop. Given all these factors, you should be very careful about the presence of undigested food fragments in the feces. To find out what pathology this is caused, it is necessary to undergo an examination. In this case, it will be easier to make a diagnosis by knowing what type of food remains undigested: carbohydrate or protein. In order to break down proteins and carbohydrates, the body produces various enzymes. In addition, proteins, fats and carbohydrates are digested in different parts of the digestive tract. This provides information and allows you to analyze the results of the examination, and to conclude which of the organs or systems is not functioning well.

So, a person has pieces of undigested food in the stool.

If diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are detected, the doctor prescribes immediate treatment. In this case, therapy is a joint intake of antibacterial drugs, enzymes and anti-inflammatory drugs. When treating any pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, a diet should be followed.

The principles of proper nutrition

Common to all types of diets are the following principles of nutrition:

products must be carefully processed: remove coarse parts, films, seeds, peel, stalks;
you need to cook food only in a certain way: steam, boil, bake or stew (in no case should you fried);
exclude alcohol and smoking;
a large amount of fermented milk products enriched with lacto- and bifidobacteria is introduced into the diet;
eat in small portions 5-6 times a day.

All of the above activities contribute to the elimination of the causes of the appearance of undigested food in the feces of adults.

Indigestion in children

If deviations of this kind are found in a child, then this may alert parents. In fact, it all depends on age. During the first year of life, food may not be fully digested due to the fact that the gastrointestinal tract is not fully formed. This is the reason for the incomplete digestion of food, even by very young children who eat exclusively milk and mixtures. With the introduction of a new product into the diet, the likelihood of undigested food in the stool in a child increases.

Age features of the structure

In addition, the gastrointestinal tract of a child is much shorter than that of an adult and the food stays in it for less time and simply does not have time to be digested completely. Pieces of food in a baby's stool can be seen with the naked eye. These can be whole vegetables, fruits, etc. And in other cases, such fragments are found only in the laboratory, during the study. For example, this is how lactose deficiency is detected, in which undigested carbohydrates and lactose are found in the feces of children. The detection of whole pieces of food in the feces of a child should alert if this is accompanied by symptoms of dyspepsia:

bloating;
intestinal colic;
impurities in the feces (mucus, etc.).

Why there is undigested food in the feces is interesting to many.

Dysbacteriosis

The above symptoms indicate an imbalance in the intestinal microflora. It is impossible to ignore dysbacteriosis (it will go away on its own), it must be treated, otherwise the violations will be aggravated more and more, and complicated by the addition of other diseases. In addition to the imbalance of microflora, the cause of dyspepsia may be an intestinal infection or an improperly selected diet. In order to prevent such phenomena, new products are introduced into the child's menu gradually, one at a time. Naturally, all products must be fresh. Eggs need to be boiled for a long time, and milk should be boiled.

Meat and fish products must be mashed, this reduces the content of muscle fibers in the child's excrement. Vegetables and fruits should be washed and rinsed with boiling water. Products of plant origin should not have any damage: darkening or soft spots. If, despite careful observance of all these rules, particles of food are still found in the child's feces, then the pediatrician must be informed about this. He will assess the degree of danger and, based on the accompanying symptoms, will determine further actions.

How to treat an ailment so that undigested food remains in the feces no longer appear.

Treatment

First of all, as we have already said, it is necessary to establish the cause of this phenomenon. If it is nutritional errors, and there are no symptoms of inflammation (fever, chills, blood in the stool), then treatment is reduced to correcting eating behavior and consuming large amounts of water. Other reasons due to which undigested pieces of food are found in the feces of a child and an adult can be understood from the coprogram. Such a detailed analysis can reveal the presence of the simplest organisms and bacteria, which cause the infectious process. In this case, the doctor prescribes the treatment, based on the data obtained during the examination.