Pale Or White Stools: Causes And Treatments
Your stools can range from different shades of brown to even green or black. But white stools are not normal and require immediate attention.
Your stools can give you information about the condition of your intestines and your digestive system. A color change can be a warning sign of an infection or an illness.
Pale or white stools
When your stool is white or pale in its color, it means you have a problem with your bili (pancreas, liver or gallbladder). The brown color of your stools comes from the bile salts that your liver excretes.
If the stool is white, it means that you have an infection in the liver, which lowers your bile production, or that you have an obstruction in the bile ducts. Your digestive system may also not be able to absorb fat properly. On the other hand, if your stool is light (yellow or gray) and oily, this condition is known as “acolitis”.
It is common to experience some sort of problem with your affair during your lifetime. There are changes that can range from simple and temporary to alarming and life-threatening.
You can see changes in color by looking in the toilet when you are done as well as by specifically observing composition or smell.
That’s why you get white stools
If you realize you have white stools, it may come from one of the following reasons:
1. Medicine
Consumption of certain medications can change the color of your stools.
Antibiotics in particular can be to blame for this, especially the kind used to treat infections like tuberculosis or intestinal problems like diarrhea. Anti-inflammatory drugs and birth control pills can also cause white stools. Anabolic steroids can cause medication induced hepatitis and trigger a white stool production.
These symptoms will usually go away within a few weeks after you stop taking the medicine.
2. Hepatitis
Hepatitis is when your liver becomes inflamed and this is usually caused by a virus, resulting in hepatitis A, B or C. Unfortunately, hepatitis C is the most dangerous, if you do not treat it, it can even be fatal.
One of the symptoms of hepatitis is pale or white stools caused by a liver function.
3. Alcoholic hepatitis
This disease is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. It triggers inflammation of the liver. However, this takes time to manifest and depends on how much alcohol you drink. Symptoms include fatigue, swelling and hepatic encephalopathy
Alcoholic or viral hepatitis can result in liver cirrhosis.
Biliary cirrhosis
Biliary cirrhosis is a chronic and irreversible liver disease in the terminal phase. This happens when your liver cells are destroyed.
It causes irritation and inflammation of the bile ducts of the liver. The fluid in your bile stops due to the caused damage to the liver cells. Cirrhosis is the scarring that occurs as a result.
One of the many effects of cirrhosis is that your stools turn white.
5. Cancer
Some types of cancer can cause pale or white stools, accompanied by fatigue. Digestive cancer, bile tumors and other cancers that block the bile ducts will cause your stools to get a light yellow or clay-like color due to the lack of enzymes from the pancreas.
This can also result in fatigue because your food is not completely digested and the right nutrients cannot be absorbed, resulting in malnutrition.
6. Gallstones
Gallstones are solidified waste in the gallbladder, which ultimately obstructs the flow of bile.
The stones consist of hardened cholesterol or bilirubin. When gallstones are very large, they can block the bile ducts, causing your stools to turn pale.
If they do not disappear with medication, surgery may be needed to remove them.
7. Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a disease in which the bile ducts are inflamed or scar tissue has formed in them.
This condition causes a decrease in bile flow, resulting in a lack of color in your stools.
However, this disease is treated by medication or surgery.
Diagnosis and treatment of white stools
If your stool has a white appearance, this is a serious condition that needs to be discussed quickly with your doctor, who can then give you the correct treatment once the actual cause has been identified.
You need the following tests to get an accurate diagnosis:
- Blood tests, to determine if there is any kind of anomaly,
- A CT scan, to get a picture of the inside of your body,
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a special type of MRI that captures detailed images of the bile system,
- An abdominal ultrasound scan can be done to generate an image of your organs and check that everything is in place,
- Liver function test,
- Surgery to identify defects in the bile duct.
Once you have treated the cause of white stools, it should subsequently return to its normal color. However, if your problem cannot be cured, the change may be permanent.
White stools in children – Causes and treatment
It is always important to pay attention to your children’s feces because it can help you identify health issues.
White stools or diarrhea are common in children, sometimes due to milk or other products that do not suit them.
You should always be aware of the cause of white stools and what the most appropriate treatment may be.
Causes of white stools in children
- Quality, quantity and content of things they eat,
- Consumption of cold foods,
- Poor absorption of food due to a parasite that damages the intestines,
- Hepatitis, because the liver does not function properly, thereby ensuring the necessary bile production.
Treatment for white or pale stools in children
The first thing you need to do is go to the doctor. Necessary tests related to the stool problem will be performed.
The most important thing is to get them to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Children require a lot of water and mineral salts.
Sometimes there are bacteria that cause white stools and an antibiotic treatment may be needed.
Never administer anti-diarrhea medication containing loperamide to your child without a prescription.
