They will ask questions about your medical history and symptoms. Questions may include:. Approach to the patient with jaundice or abnormal liver tests. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Lidofsky SD. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. Marks RA, Saxena R. Liver diseases of childhood.
In: Saxena R, ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap 5. Reviewed by: Michael M. As bile pigments travel through your gastrointestinal tract, they are chemically altered by enzymes, changing the pigments from green to brown. Consult your doctor if you're concerned about your stool color. If your stool is bright red or black — which may indicate the presence of blood — seek prompt medical attention. Michael F. Picco, M. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.
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Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Having a white or pale stool just once, or rarely, is not usually a concern. But when the color is consistently too light, it is something that you should discuss with a healthcare provider.
Stools that are pale, white, or look like clay or putty may be the result of many things, including:. This article explains unusual stools, their causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. The medical term, " acholic, " refers to light-colored stools that result from a lack of bile. Healthy stools come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. When it comes to how often you poop or what your stool looks like, every person is different.
So, there is a wide range of "normal. However, there are times when what you see in the toilet bowl is probably outside what would be considered typical.
If you notice unusual stools more than just occasionally, or you are concerned about the size, shape, or color of stools, contact your healthcare provider. The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder , liver, and pancreas. Bile, a digestive fluid, is created in the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and finally released into the first section of the small intestine the duodenum while food passes.
Frequently, medical causes of stool that are pale or clay-colored indicate liver or biliary issue such as:. Bile is what gives stool its brown color. So, pale-colored stool could indicate a problem with the bile, including:. Clay-colored stool caused by a medical condition might also be accompanied by a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes jaundice or darkened urine. The presence of jaundice along with pale stools could indicate an obstructed bile duct or liver infection.
Both of these conditions could be serious so you should discuss your symptoms with a healthcare provider right away. To treat pale stools, your doctor must first identify the underlying cause.
In addition to a complete medical history, your doctor may order some of the following tests:. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.
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