Green feces: cause of discoloration

Attention deserves everything, including the color of feces. Green stools may appear as in a newborn baby or crumbs of 1-2 years, and in 5-6 year olds, adolescents and even adults. In some cases this is normal and is not a sign of poor health, in others you should go to the hospital. We'll figure it out when greenish feces are the norm, but when it's worth taking a closer look at the baby.

Why are green feces?

There are a number of factors that are quite natural and without deterioration of well-being cause a change in the color of stools in a greenish shade:

• Green feces in an adult after a plentiful consumption of green food (both natural and with dyes) - a completely healthy phenomenon, because the body does not always process the entire volume of consumed products.
• Dysbacteriosis of the digestive system and-because of the unformed microflora in the newborn or due to the weakening of immunity / intake of drugs in older people, too, changes the color of the stool.

In some of the cases described, it is enough to just wait a day or two, in others - to change your own diet and nutrition, and thirdly - to see a doctor for prescribing preventive and strengthening agents. In any case, all these reasons are easily solved and do not cause significant harm to the body if you take measures in time.

The causes of green feces in infants

It happens that in infants the feces acquire a green color, which causes great concern for the mothers of babies. But is it worth worrying?

• For newborn babies this is normal, because the body during the first few days gets rid of swallowed amniotic fluid and other meconium, but after 3-5 days the feces become yellow, and by the end of the first month, usually passes to the mustard shade.
• With breastfeeding, the cause of a green stool is sometimes the mother's diet, especially if it consumes too much dairy and high-iron foods.
• For children on artificial feeding and adults, a greenish shade of feces can speak of a reaction to the composition of food - in particular, again, on the iron content.
• For a 5-month-old baby, a sudden change in stool may be a sign of a reaction to the first lure.
• In a 6-month-old baby, the change in feces to a greenish, marshy or dark green color may be due to the onset of teething.
• For a crumb that for the first time started or consumed many green vegetables, fresh greens or fruits at once, such a stool of feces will not be a deviation either.

Green feces: the reasons are more serious

Regular examinations at the doctor must be mandatory for every responsible person. However, if you find the reasons that you are concerned about the state of health, do not postpone the trip to the hospital until the next scheduled inspection.

The main signs that something is wrong with the body:

• Dark or black feces with a greenish tinge + heavy putrefactive odor;
• foamy structure of green stool;
• rash, irritation on the skin;
• temperature, anxiety;
• colic, pinching the legs to the abdomen in children;
• loss of appetite;
• bad breath;
• frequent urge to defecate + loose stools;
• drowsiness, lethargy;
• green feces with mucus + weakness;
• nausea and vomiting;
• green stool with a bloody admixture.

Heavy, pronounced putrefactive smell signals of inflammation or even suppuration, so you should urgently see a doctor. Blood impurities, especially with mucus, suggest a possible damage to the shells of the digestive system. They are often found in infants, but can manifest themselves in adulthood. Foam structure is most often a sign of starvation, lack of nutrients. Usually occurs in children on breastfeeding, when the mother does not have enough "rear" milk, and low-fat and non-nutritional colostrum only strengthens the urge to defecate. An adult can signal poisoning. In addition, if for a baby several months of age the change in the faecal palette most often indicates problems with the digestive system, then in a baby older than an adult it can become a sign of an infectious disease.

How to determine if everything is in order with health?

There are many reasons for the change in the condition and tone of the stool, while some are completely harmless, while others require immediate treatment. To understand what you are dealing with is quite simple. If a person is cheerful, active, sleeps well, eats and in general, behaves as usual - certainly gardening is caused by a one-time harmless cause. If other alarm symptoms are added to the stool structure and color, and this condition lasts more than one day - contact a doctor immediately. Take care of your health and be careful!