Starch in feces. Decoding the coprogram

Coprological examination (koprologiya) kala is a laboratory procedure that helps to quickly collect the maximum amount of information about the functioning of the digestive system. This is a standard analysis, which is carried out in the process of diagnosing already existing diseases, and is also prescribed for routine preventive examinations. With its help, you can determine whether starch is present in the feces, whether there is latent intestinal bleeding, whether the patient is infected with parasites, etc.

So how do they conduct research? How to collect samples of feces correctly? What indicators take into account? How to decipher a coprogram? The answers to these questions will be interesting and useful to many readers.

What is a coprogram and why do it?

To put the correct diagnosis, to notice the presence of a disease is almost impossible without carrying out certain tests. Kaprologiya kala is one of the most popular, fast and accessible methods of research. This laboratory analysis is carried out in almost every hospital.

Feces, their physical characteristics and chemical composition can tell a lot about the work of the body. In particular, when studying the results, the doctor can reveal the peculiarities of the digestive tract of a person. In addition, testing is used in the diagnosis of diseases of the liver and gallbladder, pancreas, stomach. The analysis of feces in children helps the pediatrician to make a general picture of the development of the digestive tract, the presence of metabolic disruptions. The study is indispensable in the diagnosis of helminthiases, as well as the detection of latent gastrointestinal bleeding.

How to prepare for the analysis?

There are not so many internal diseases, for the differential diagnosis of which you do not need to receive a coprogram. The doctor may order a checkup to check whether starch is present in the feces, whether there are traces of helminthic invasions, proteins or hidden blood, etc. It is quite natural to ask whether the study requires some specific preparation. Some rules will help you get accurate information:

• A few days before sample collection it is recommended to follow a basic, healthy diet. From the diet is to exclude colored vegetables, fish, fatty meat and, of course, foods with food colorings.
• If you are taking any medications without the possibility of stopping therapy for several days, be sure to notify the doctor.
• The fence can not be carried to women during menstruation - it is better to wait until it ends.
• In the event that defecation is a problem (for example, with constipation), do not use laxatives or enemas, as this can distort the results of the tests. It is better to wait for the natural evacuation of the intestine.

How to take the feces?

The results of analyzes largely depend on the proper preparation and collection of samples. So how do I take the feces? There is nothing complicated in the procedure. To collect samples, it is recommended to purchase a special plastic container with a lid. Such containers are sold in almost any pharmacy. They are equipped with a convenient spatula for collecting stool.

Before the procedure, you should wash yourself, otherwise uncharacteristic bacterial organisms, epithelial cells, chemical compounds can be detected during the study, which, naturally, will affect the further process of diagnosis. The fence is performed immediately after defecation.

According to the opinion of the laboratory technicians, a single teaspoon of material is required for complete analysis. A smaller sample may not be enough for all tests. Fecal masses should be sent to the laboratory as quickly as possible - no later than 5-7 hours after fence. The longer the biomaterial is stored, the less likely it is to obtain accurate results, because under the influence of environmental factors (light, temperature, air) some chemical components of the stool are destroyed, which leads to distortion of information. The container with samples should be stored in the refrigerator.

If a coprogram is given in the baby, then parents are not recommended to take feces from the diaper - it is better to pre-lay a clean diaper under the baby. In the absence of a special plastic container, the samples can be placed in a glass jar, but beforehand it must be sterilized.

Coprology: transcript and normal indices

After carrying out the necessary analyzes, a special questionnaire is prepared. There are many different physical and chemical characteristics that take into account coprolights. Decoding and interpretation of the data obtained is the task of the doctor. Nevertheless, you can see how ideally the results should look:

• Feces of brown color and dense consistency, with no inclusions of mucus, food breasts and blood, without an excessively fetid or sharp odor;
• Normally the water content in stool is 80%;
• The pH reaction should be neutral;
• Leukocytes, bilirubin, proteins and starch in the analysis of stool should be absent;
• Allowed a small amount of muscle fibers.

Naturally, the amount of data in the questionnaire can vary depending on the doctor's instructions. For example, if you need to hand over feces for carbohydrates, the lab technician conducts reactions not only on the presence of starch, but also on its variety. The same goes for tests for hidden blood.

Physical characteristics of feces: what are the deviations?

Before starting to investigate the chemical composition of stool, the laboratory technician must study and enter physical characteristics into the questionnaire. To compile a quality coprogram they are equally important.

By the way, the patient can note some disorders only on his own. For example, there are average norms of the daily amount of feces. For an adult this is 100-200 g. Naturally, we are talking about those cases when the patient observes the right diet:

• The release of less than 100 grams of excrement per day is observed with constipation of different origin;
• More than 200 g often indicates inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, accelerated evacuation of dietary masses, insufficient intake of bile;
• If a person releases more than 1 kg of excrement per day, then this indicates a serious pancreatic insufficiency.

Another important factor is consistency. Fecal masses are 80% water. With diarrhea, this figure rises to 95%, but constipation is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of fluid to 70-65%. Normally, the feces of an adult person are formed, has a dense consistency. What can the analysis tell:

• Abundant semi-liquid stools with oily impurities may indicate violations of fat absorption in the intestine;
• Dough-like stool appears with insufficient amount of bile and impaired secretion in the pancreas;
• Loose, mushy excrement testifies to the intensified processes of fermentation, colitis, enteritis;
• Liquid feces appears in the violation of digestion in the small intestine;
• Solid fecal masses of ribbon or spiral shape are observed with constipation, hemorrhoids, as well as with the formation of tumors in the large intestine;
• Semi-fluid, foamy feces are characteristic of fermentative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

An important factor for diagnosis is the color of the stool:

• Light brown feces indicate an accelerated evacuation of intestinal contents;
• Feces of a reddish shade are observed during inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membrane of the large intestine;
• When motor and digestive disorders occur in the small intestine, patients often note that the stool becomes yellow;
• White feces may indicate clogging of the bile duct;
• In diseases of the pancreas, feces can acquire a gray or yellow-gray hue.

As for the other symptoms, they also pay attention to the smell. Naturally, it depends primarily on food and on the number of protein products consumed. This is a subjective factor, although it should not be left without attention. For example, the presence of an acidic odor can signal fermentation dyspepsia. A strong stench is characteristic of pancreatic diseases and an outflow of bile. And with accelerated movement of food masses, the stool has a characteristic smell of butyric acid.

It is necessary to understand that physical characteristics directly depend on nutrition. That is why a few days before the test is given, it is recommended to switch to simple, healthy food. Overeating, strict diet, use of dyes and preservatives - all this can distort the results.

Reaction of pH of feces

Separately it is necessary to allocate such parameter, as pH. Reaction of stools should be neutral - its values range from 6.8 to 7.6. If the analysis data do not correspond to the norm, then the following violations are possible:

• A slightly alkaline reaction occurs against the background of disturbances in the digestive processes in the small intestine;
• Alkaline reaction may indicate pancreatic diseases, digestive disorders in the stomach, increased secretory activity in the large intestine, ulcerative colitis;
• An acute alkaline reaction, as a rule, is observed with putrefactive dyspeptic phenomena;
• A sharply expressed acidic environment, on the contrary, indicates dyspepsia associated with intensive fermentation processes in the intestine;
• A moderately acidic environment is associated with impaired absorption of fatty acids.

By the way, the feces can give an acid reaction in the child, especially if the newborn is on artificial feeding - this is due to the composition of the milk mixture, so you should not worry in advance. To determine the exact diagnosis, additional information is needed.

Chemical composition of feces: norm and deviations

After studying the physical parameters, the lab technician proceeds to study the chemical composition of feces. So, what should not be present in human feces and what pathologies can be determined by this analysis?

• A bad sign is the presence of protein in stool samples. Its presence can talk about enteritis, dysbacteriosis, ulcerative digestive tract disorders, gastritis, cancer, rectum cracks and hemorrhoidal formations.
• Hemoglobin is a component of red blood cells, which is absent in the stool of a healthy person. Analysis for latent blood is positive for ulcers, bleeding in any part of the digestive tract (including the oral cavity), the formation of polyps and hemorrhoids, hemorrhagic diathesis.
• Sterkobililin - a substance that is formed during the decay of molecules of hemoglobin. A decrease in its number indicates pancreatitis, hepatitis, cholangitis, liver damage. But its increased content in fecal masses is observed in hemolytic anemia.
• Bilirubin is found in the stool of an adult person with severe forms of dysbiosis, as well as increased intestinal motility. By the way, in children in the first year of life, this element may be present.
• The presence of leukocytes indicates an inflammatory process, in particular ulcerative colitis, dysentery, cancer, tuberculosis of the large intestine.
• The presence of mucous impurities in the feces sometimes indicates the presence of infection in the intestine.
• If the stool contains a large number of muscle fibers, it can also indicate a number of pathologies, including dyspepsia, constipation, ulcerative colitis, bile flow disorders, and digestive failure.
• Disturbance of digestion in the small intestine, insufficient intake of bile, putrefactive and fermental dyspepsia are accompanied by the release of fatty acids along with feces.

In addition, stool analysis helps to diagnose parasitic diseases. Eggs, larvae or segments of helminths, as well as lamblia, dysentery amoeba and other pathogenic microorganisms may be present in the feces.

Starch in feces - is it dangerous?

Sometimes during the laboratory tests, starch in the feces is detected. What does this result indicate and should we start worrying?

To begin with, note that starch is a complex carbohydrate, the cleavage of which begins in the mouth and ends in the large intestine. During normal operation of the digestive system, this substance disintegrates and is absorbed completely. If there are starchy grains in the stool, this indicates a condition known in medicine under the term "amylorea".

Amylorrhea is not an independent disease, but rather a consequence of various lesions of the digestive tract. If a starch in an adult's feces was detected during the examination, then this may indicate the presence of the following problems:

• Fermentation dyspepsia;
• Gastritis and other diseases, which are accompanied by functional abnormalities of the stomach;
• Disruption of the pancreas, which is caused by inflammation or atrophy;
• Inflammatory processes in the tissues of the intestinal wall (one of their signs is the accelerated movement of food masses through the intestinal tract, as a result, enzymes simply do not have time to split complex carbohydrates).

If we are talking about children, then the results of analyzes can be interpreted in different ways. Starch in the feces of a child in the first year of life may not be associated with any disease. At this age, amylorrhea is regarded as the norm, as the digestive tract of the baby is at the stage of formation. The pediatrician can advise the correction of the ration of a small patient. In order to reduce the amount of starch consumed, you can temporarily refuse (or reduce the amount) from potatoes, and replace pears and bananas with peaches, apples and other fruits.

Recommending to hand over the feces for carbohydrates, the doctor expects to receive some additional information. For example, you can identify two types of this compound in stool:

• If we talk about fruits and vegetables, this carbohydrate is contained inside the cell, protected by a plant envelope, which, in the normal process of digestion, must completely decay. Intracellular starch in the feces, as a rule, indicates a violation of peristalsis and too rapid evacuation of food masses from the intestine. Even if the digestive juice is released in sufficient quantity and contains all the necessary enzymes, the nutrients simply do not have time to split.
• Sometimes during the diagnosis, the extracellular starch is detected in the feces. In the norm of such grains in the excrement should also not be. Nevertheless, such a violation is observed against the background of a decrease in the secretion of gastric juice, as well as a lack of amylase in saliva and pancreatic juice .

What to do if starch is found in the feces of a child?

Naturally, many parents are concerned about the question of what to do if there is a starch in the feces of a child. Is amylorea so dangerous? Regardless of the age of the patient, the presence of carbohydrates in the excrement requires additional research.

To eliminate it is necessary first of all the reason, whether it be enteritis, dysbacteriosis, pancreatitis or any other disorders. Of course, amylorea requires a diet correction. In particular, it is recommended to limit the amount of products containing starch (this applies to potatoes, bread, baked goods, etc.). If a patient has insufficient enzyme activity, he needs to take specially selected enzyme preparations.

Conclusion

Research excrement - a simple, but very informative procedure, which is an integral part of the diagnosis. Nevertheless, one should not interpret its results independently. Whatever is found during the analysis, whether it is starch in the feces, high protein content, traces of blood, the results should be shown to an experienced specialist. Just one coprogram is not enough to make a diagnosis - you need additional tests.