Prescence of Blood in Stool

Mucus in stool

Diarrhea lasting more than three days

Stomach pain or cramping

Nausea or vomiting lasting days

Fever

Persistent digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, or changes in stool consistency

Colitis (swelling or irritation in your colon, part of your intestine).

Colon polyps (small clumps of cells in the colon).

Colorectal (colon) cancer.

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPC) (not able to break down food in the intestines).

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.

Hemorrhoids (swollen veins in your anus).

Infections (bacterial, viral, or parasitic).

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (irritation in your digestive tract).

Stomach ulcers (sores in your stomach).

Macroscopic analysis

Macroscopic analysis involves making assessments about the stool’s obvious characteristics, such as:

the stool’s appearance, such as its color, shape, and consistency

the stool’s odor

the presence of mucus or blood

Microscopic analysis

Microscopic analysis involves examining the stool under a microscope to check for the following:

Infectious pathogens

Blood in the stool

Fat in the stool

Ova and parasites in stool

Undigested food in stool

Mucous in stool

Yeasts in stool

High levels of fat in the stool may be caused by diseases such as pancreatitis, sprue (celiac disease), cystic fibrosis, or other disorders that affect the absorption of fats.

The presence of undigested meat fibers in the stool may be caused by pancreatitis.

A low pH may be caused by poor absorption of carbohydrate or fat. Stool with a high pH may mean inflammation in the intestine (colitis), cancer, or antibiotic use.

Blood in the stool may be caused by bleeding in the digestive tract.

White blood cells in the stool may be caused by inflammation of the intestines, such as ulcerative colitis, or a bacterial infection.

stool Culture:

Purpose: Identifies bacterial infections by growing bacteria from a stool sample.

Stool Occult Blood Test:

Purpose: Detects hidden (occult) blood in the stool.

Conditions Tested For: Gastrointestinal bleeding, colorectal cancer, polyps.

Stool Lactoferrin Test:

Purpose: Detects the presence of lactoferrin, a protein associated with inflammation.

Conditions Tested For: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Stool Calprotectin Test:

Purpose: Measures the level of calprotectin, a protein associated with inflammation.

Conditions Tested For: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and differentiates between IBD and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Stool C. difficile Test:

Purpose: Detects toxins produced by Clostridium difficile bacteria.

Conditions Tested For: Clostridium difficile infection, which often follows antibiotic use.

stool Reducing Substances Test:

Purpose: Detects the presence of unabsorbed sugars.

Conditions Tested For: Carbohydrate malabsorption conditions such as lactose intolerance.

It will take several hours to get the result.