Mushy stools are softening of stools that look like separate soft pieces or a heterogeneous liquid mass. The symptom is often accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, flatulence. Defecation disorders are observed with stress and nutritional errors, infectious and specific inflammatory bowel diseases, fermentopathy. To determine the cause, a survey ultrasound of the abdomen, colonoscopy, endoscopy, X-ray of the gastrointestinal tract, coprogram is performed. To normalize the stool, enzymes, probiotics, antibacterial agents are used.
In children of the first year of life, soft, unformed yellow stools are a normal variant, which is due to the monotonous feeding of breast milk or milk formulas, the restructuring of the digestive system due to increasing nutritional loads. Mushy feces in infants up to 3-4 months are excreted after each feeding, then the feces become more formed, the stool is reduced to 4-5, and then less times during the day.
An atypical mushy feces is noted when fatty foods are abused the day before, desserts with a lot of cream. The remains of undigested fat move through the intestines, soften the feces, acting as a natural laxative. The next day after a plentiful feast, defecation is observed 2-3 times a day, stools are soft, “fatty” in appearance. At the same time, general well-being, as a rule, is not disturbed.
Abundant mushy feces periodically occur in people who follow a strict plant-based diet with a restriction of bread and cereals. Vegetables contain a large amount of fiber, therefore, they contribute to an increase in the volume of feces and change its consistency. The chair usually occurs 1 time per day. If liquid bowel movements, nausea, abdominal pain appear against the background of the usual diet, you should visit a doctor.
The normal functioning of the digestive organs is inextricably linked with the stable functioning of the central and peripheral nervous system, therefore, during stress or other psychogenic shocks, mushy feces often form. The symptom can be caused by various reasons: the upcoming job interview, the delivery of an important project, a quarrel with a loved one. A change in stool is preceded by rumbling and discomfort in the abdomen.
Cal, resembling gruel in appearance, is observed in students or school graduates before exams. In addition to defecation disorders, cramping abdominal pain, a painful feeling "in the pit of the stomach", and nausea are typical. A loose, mushy stool occurs once, all symptoms disappear when the stress factor is eliminated. The development of long-term dyspepsia against the background of stress often indicates organic causes and requires examination by a specialist.
In this condition, patients are concerned about various violations of the frequency and consistency of the stool, but more often there is a variant with a predominance of diarrhea. Mushy stool is either completely liquid, or in the form of soft "flakes" and lumps. The act of defecation is combined with discomfort in the abdomen, sometimes there is pain in the anal area. The appearance of a symptom is provoked by errors in the diet, psycho-emotional overstrain, intercurrent diseases.
For IBS, mushy stools are typical in the morning, 30-4 minutes after waking up. The stool is preceded by intestinal spasms, rumbling of the abdomen, painful urge to defecate. After going to the toilet, all symptoms disappear, during the day a person can feel completely healthy. If the mushy stool is secreted for a long time, is not associated with the time of day, this indicates the addition of a chronic gastrointestinal pathology.
Allergens that enter the digestive tract irritate the intestinal mucosa and increase the secretion of water into the intestinal lumen. At the same time, the stool softens, is excreted in the form of a heterogeneous slurry, sometimes with a fetid odor. Defecation occurs 2-3 hours after eating the allergen product, accompanied by heaviness in the stomach, severe nausea. Sometimes food allergies cause massive diarrhea with liquid, watery stools that require medical attention.
Violation of the normal microflora of the large intestine with colonization by pathogenic organisms causes a variety of reasons: all acute infections of any localization, severe somatic diseases. With dysbacteriosis in the intestine, the processes of bacterial putrefaction and decomposition predominate, which is clinically manifested by a mushy, fetid stool, on the surface of which a greenish-gray coating can be seen.
The frequency of defecation is from 4-5 times per day, at one time a meager amount of unformed feces is excreted. Excretion is preceded by intense cramping pains in the lower abdomen, rumbling, tenesmus. The condition improves with a strict diet (mucous cereals and soups, stewed vegetables). When heavily digested foods are added to the diet, mushy stools become more frequent up to 1 time per day, pain in the abdomen intensifies.
The most typical appearance of mushy feces is with a deficiency of vitamin PP (nicotinic acid). Such a symptom mainly occurs in people who follow strict diets with restriction of animal food and cereals; with a normal good nutrition, beriberi almost never occurs. Patients note an increase in stool and a violation of the digestion of food, as a result of which food residues, mucus are visible in the liquid feces.
A sign is also observed with a lack of other vitamins, most often in early spring. The chair in the form of gruel departs periodically, the frequency of defecation remains normal or slightly increases. In addition to changes in the consistency of feces, abdominal cramps, nausea after eating, and flatulence are disturbing. Severe hypovitaminosis C is characterized by profuse, watery stools with mucus, in which streaks of blood are sometimes visible. The symptom is accompanied by bleeding from the gums, nose.
Bacterial and viral infections are common causes of pasty stools in people of all ages. Most often, dyspeptic disorders occur within 8-12 hours after consuming a suspicious product. A person experiences severe nausea and vomiting, the urge to defecate, which ends with the release of liquid, heterogeneous feces with pieces of undigested food. The stool may change color to greenish-yellow.
In case of poisoning with specific pathogens (Salmonella, Shigella), a prodromal period is observed during the first day, the stool is more often formed, but has a softer texture. On the second day, intense pain develops in the navel or in the left abdomen, which is accompanied by frequent defecation. The stool becomes liquid, acquires a fetid odor and a greenish tint. The main infectious causes of mushy feces:
Feces that look like gruel are more characteristic of hypoacid gastritis, but can also form with increased acidity of gastric juice. Mushy feces are more often provoked by a plentiful meal, diet violations, and stress. An unformed stool also indicates an exacerbation of a chronic process. In this case, it is combined with dull arching pains in the epigastric region, nausea and rotten belching.
Hyperacid gastritis is characterized by frequent bowel movements with the release of small amounts of soft or liquid feces. Defecation is preceded by sharp spasms in the epigastrium and umbilical region, vomiting. The symptom is unstable. Its development is facilitated by skipping the intake of hypoacid drugs, the abuse of heavy fatty foods. The discharge of unformed black feces is an alarming symptom that requires emergency care.
In chronic pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency occurs. Digestive disorders and malabsorption syndrome are noted. Stool frequency - an average of 1-2 times a day, soft, gray stools. In appearance, the feces are "oily", leaving traces on the walls of the toilet bowl. With an exacerbation of pancreatic inflammation, the number of bowel movements increases, the feces become fetid, plentiful.
With an insufficient amount of bile in the duodenum, fats do not break down, and are excreted in the form of large drops with feces. Acute cholecystitis is characterized by lightening and softening of feces: during defecation, a grayish-white slurry with a pungent odor is released. In a chronic process, the stool is of a normal color, reminiscent of soft lumps or layers, but not liquid. Defecation disorder is accompanied by pain in the right hypochondrium, nausea, bitterness in the mouth.
A similar clinical picture is determined with liver damage of various causes: viral and autoimmune hepatitis, fatty infiltration, hepatosis. In addition to mushy stools, patients complain of dull pain and heaviness in the right abdomen, constant nausea, vomiting with bile impurities. With viral hepatitis A and E, normalization of stool consistency occurs after 2-3 weeks, with hepatitis B - within a few months.
Relaxation of the stool occurs with any pathology of the digestive system, but more often with damage to the intestinal tract. Depending on the activity of the process, mushy feces depart with each bowel movement or only with violations of the therapeutic diet. Pain and discomfort increase before a bowel movement. Defecation can slightly improve the patient's condition. Intestinal causes most often lead to instability of the stool, such as:
Symptoms in the form of mushy stools are most typical for lactase deficiency. In the complete absence of the enzyme, pathological signs appear from 2-3 days of a child's life, milder forms are skipped in childhood and manifest in adults. Patients note the appearance of loose stools a few hours after ingestion of dairy products, while the duration of dyspepsia rarely exceeds 2 days.
The presence of such signs in adults is not considered a serious violation: according to statistics, about 40-50% of the population does not digest milk properly. The exclusion of irritating foods from the diet helps to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. With prolonged persistence of dyspeptic disorders, despite a lactose-free diet, a specialist consultation is indicated.
With gluten intolerance, mushy stools are constantly observed, feces are gray in color and have a specific fetid odor. Cereals containing this protein are an important part of the daily diet, so the disease proceeds with severe clinical symptoms. Patients with celiac disease feel severe bloating, rumbling in the intestines. The stool becomes frothy, plentiful, contains particles of poorly digested food.
Frequent and softening of the stool occurs with thyrotoxicosis, since an increase in the level of thyroid hormones accelerates intestinal peristalsis. A person complains of periodic painful spasms, rumbling in the abdomen. A pathognomonic sign is a normal or increased appetite, which is accompanied by a sharp weight loss. The formation of mushy stools is also caused by other endocrine causes: diabetes mellitus, Addison's disease.
The consistency of feces always changes after the course of antibiotic treatment is completed. Antimicrobial drugs disrupt the normal microflora of the colon, causing dysbacteriosis and bacterial overgrowth syndrome. An unformed mushy stool passes, acquiring a grayish-green hue due to putrefactive processes. The symptom develops with excessive consumption of lipid-lowering drugs, choleretic, laxatives.
Examination of patients with mushy stools is carried out by a specialist gastroenterologist. First, the doctor takes a history, performs a physical examination, and checks for signs of peritoneal irritation to rule out an "acute abdomen". Then a complex of instrumental and laboratory studies of the digestive tract is prescribed to clarify the cause of dyspeptic disorders. The most informative diagnostic methods:
A mushy stool that is not associated with a single overeating or stress factor is an indication for dieting. In the first 2-3 days, you need to unload the gastrointestinal tract as much as possible, for which it is recommended to take semi-liquid food, all products should be boiled. The diet includes dishes rich in pectin and potassium - baked apples, bananas, boiled turkey and chicken. Food is fractional, at least 4-6 times a day.
If the mushy stool becomes even more liquid, it is important to ensure an adequate water regime - for adults, about 2-2.5 liters of fluid per day, so as not to provoke dehydration of the body. The combination of mushy stools with intense pain in the abdomen, fever, vomiting indicates the presence of a serious cause of stool disorder. In such a situation, medical assistance is required.
For the duration of therapy, caffeinated drinks and foods with artificial sweeteners are canceled, and medications that affect gastrointestinal motility are limited. Drugs for the treatment of mushy stools are selected based on the cause of the disease. Specific antidiarrheal agents are not indicated; pathogenetic and etiotropic therapy is used to eliminate symptoms. The treatment regimen includes:
In case of severe damage to the intestine due to Crohn's disease or UC, a segmental resection with the formation of a primary anastomosis is indicated. Acute surgical pathology of the abdominal organs requires urgent surgical intervention - appendectomy, sanitation and drainage of the peritoneal cavity, removal of the diverticulum. With hormonally active tumors, they are removed.