Can green diarrhea be an indication of cancer?

If there are changes in the bowel movements, one should be careful, as these can give indications of a possible cancer. Colon cancer can cause both diarrhea and constipation. A greenish discoloration is not a classic symptom.

However, if no other cause can be found or the bowel movement is black or bloody, a medical examination is necessary. In general, one should take advantage of the preventive examinations for colon cancer. From the age of 50 years on you can have an annual stool test and every 10 years you have the possibility to have a colonoscopy. If you have a first-degree relative with colon cancer, you should take the screening at the age of 40 at the latest!

Diagnosis

In order to make a diagnosis, a detailed conversation is necessary first. The symptoms and accompanying symptoms must be described, as well as duration, occurrence and previous illnesses. A detailed anamnesis and a description of the diarrhea is therefore the first step.

This is followed by a physical examination and possibly a stool examination. During this examination, pathogens are searched for and it is also possible to examine whether there is blood in the stool. A blood test is also necessary depending on the symptoms. Finally, sonography of the abdomen is also available.

Which symptoms tell me that my green diarrhea is pathological?

Since there are so many causes for green diarrhea, the question arises when it is pathological. The first step is of course to exclude causes. One should therefore pay attention to whether one has eaten a lot of green raw food recently.If this is not the case, then the diet cannot be the cause.

If you have taken antibiotics in the last few weeks, then this may be the reason for the diarrhoea. Probiotika can help in the case. But if bloody diarrhea, severe pain or fever should be added, then one must consult a doctor.

Green diarrhea can also have an infectious cause. Here, for example, salmonella is a possible pathogen. These can occur in contaminated food such as eggs, milk or poultry.

Salmonellosis leads to watery green diarrhea, which can also be bloody in the course of time. The affected person may also experience flu-like symptoms. In most cases, no therapy is necessary, except for children, the elderly or immunocompromised people.

Overall, one should see a doctor if the diarrhea persists or is accompanied by fever. It is not uncommon for diarrhoea to be accompanied by flatulence (meteorism). The diet can also have a great influence on it.

However, when flatulence is combined with green, voluminous and foamy diarrhea, one must think of a parasite infection. The so-called giardiasis is a common infection, which is mainly found in the tropics and subtropics. The symptoms are the above mentioned, as well as flu-like symptoms, intestinal cramps, nausea and vomiting.

If such symptoms occur after a trip in the tropics, a medical presentation should be made. Giardiasis can be treated with antibiotics. If the diarrhea is slimy, shiny or leaves a greasy film in the toilet water, it is most likely due to fatty stools or steatorrhea.

Fatty stools can have many causes, in combination with green diarrhoea it can be the above mentioned bile acid loss syndrome. Since the bile acids are not reabsorbed, there is a loss or deficiency. The fat, which should actually be absorbed with the help of the bile acid, remains in the intestine.

This leads to voluminous and fatty stools. This can lead to deficiency symptoms and weight loss and should be treated. If the bowel movement is shiny and pitch black, then it is tarry stools.

This can be an indication of intestinal bleeding, therefore an immediate presentation in hospital is necessary. These articles may also be of interest to you: Mucilaginous diarrhea and slimy stoolIn diarrheal diseases, the stool often cannot get its dark color because of the fast passage through the intestine. Normally the bile gives the stool a greenish color, which is converted to a brown color by bacteria in the colon.

In the case of diarrhea, the stool does not remain in the large intestine long enough to get this color. This results in a lighter greenish diarrhea. It is important to find the cause of the diarrhea and to go to the doctor if you have a fever or persistent symptoms.