Diagnosis of mucusy bowel movements

The diagnosis of the symptom mucusy stool is based on a detailed anamnesis. The doctor will ask about the possible causes of the mucusy stool and find out the duration and, if necessary, other accompanying symptoms. This is followed by a physical examination, in which the abdomen in particular is listened to and palpated.

Depending on the presumed cause of the mucous stool, further diagnostic means such as blood sampling or imaging (for example, by means of ultrasound) follow. In addition, the bowel movement can be examined for pathogens. In rare cases, an endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract may also be necessary.

In this case, a camera attached to a flexible rod/tube is inserted via the mouth or anus into the sections of the intestine to be examined so that the digestive tract can be viewed from the inside. During the examination, biopsies (small tissue samples) can also be taken for further examination. The next topic might also be of interest to you: Procedure of a colonoscopy

I can tell from these symptoms that my slimy bowel movements are pathological

Whether mucus in the bowel movement is a normal or a pathological deviation of the bowel movement can usually be best distinguished by its color. Thus, a light or colorless mucus is in most cases harmless and often caused by dietary changes or fluctuations in the normal diet.Similarly, colored mucus colored by certain recently ingested foods is no cause for concern (green mucus after spinach/salad, orange/red mucus after carrots and peppers, etc.). On the other hand, yellowish mucus often indicates infectious diseases (the yellow color is caused by pus) or diseases of digestive enzymes.

Red mucus or dark brown/black mucus is mostly due to blood in the stool. This can only be caused by bleeding in the digestive tract and should therefore be examined in more detail. If, in addition to the slimy stool, other symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or a strong change in stool consistency (constipation/diarrhoea) occur, a pathological cause should be considered regardless of the color of the mucus.

Mucilaginous stool with blood is an indication of lesions (injuries) in the gastrointestinal tract. A distinction is made between different states of the mixed blood. If it is light red (and thus fresh) blood, the rear sections of the intestine are usually injured, as the blood only enters the stool shortly before the bowel outlet.

If the blood has already coagulated – dark brown – the source of bleeding is in higher intestinal sections. Black blood usually comes from the stomach, since the blood can only take on a black coloration due to the particularly strong stomach acid. Damage to the intestinal mucosa disturbs digestion, making the bowel movements additionally slimy.

Diarrhea is characterized by the fact that the bowel movement becomes softer to liquid. In addition, the frequency of bowel movements increases to at least 3 bowel movements per day. If there are additional mucilaginous deposits in the bowel movement, one should first think of an infectious disease of the digestive tract.

Due to the inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, digestion cannot take place as usual. This leads to the mucilaginous admixtures in the bowel movement. In addition, the inflammation causes the intestine not to reabsorb as much fluid as usual from the bowel movement, which leads to diarrhoea. This condition can basically be triggered by pathogens, a chronic inflammation, wrong food or even medication. Our next article could also be interesting for you: Causes of diarrhea