Do you want to know the top 10 causes of mucus in stools? Here’s a guide to help you with the same. Keep reading until the end.
Mucus is a thick, jelly-like substance that helps shield and lubricate your sensitive tissues and other body organs. It also helps lower the risks and damage caused due to bacteria, fungi, and other harmful microbes. The presence of mucus is also important to protect you against stomach acid or other dangerous acids in your body.
Yes, it is perfectly normal to have clear white or yellow-coloured mucus in stool. But in a limited proportion only. Too much mucus in your stool can denote some issues in your digestive system.
Since mucus in stool is responsible for moving your stool through your intestine, finding some of it in your stool is not unusual.
Top 10 Causes Of Mucus In Stool
1. Gastroenteritis
This condition prevails when foreign debris like viruses or bacteria infect your stomach and intestine. Aside from mucus in the stool, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. The main cause of this disease is when one consumes contaminated water or food. Another reason for this problem is the persistent use of antibiotics.
2. Crohn’s Disease
It causes inflammation in your bowels, resulting in mucus in your stool. Though the passing of mucus in stool is rare in this disease, it can occur. It usually denotes that you are either developing an anal tear or a fissure.
3. Ulcerative Colitis
In this medical condition, there is inflammation in the mucus membrane. It results in the development of small pores like ulcers. The pus is released by these ulcers when they bleed out as mucus in stool.
4. Ostomy
If you have undergone an Ostomy surgery, you are likely to develop chances of mucus passing through your rectum. In this case, your stool comes out from your body from the stomach instead of the anus and rectum. Even if this is the case, your rectum still releases fluid. It allows the production of mucus, making you feel uncomfortable and causing you pain.
5. Intestinal Infection
This infection can also give rise to mucus in stool. If you consume contaminated food, infections from bacteria like Shigellosis and Salmonella are likely to occur. It has been proven that bacteria give rise to mucus production, which ultimately causes your stools to come out along with the mucus.
6. Rectal Or Colon Cancer
This type of cancer arises in your colon. Some symptoms other than the presence of mucus in the stool are blood in your stool, unidentified weight loss, and bleeding from the rectum.
7. Cystic Fibrosis
It is a genetic condition that causes your body to have too much mucus than what is required. It affects both your lungs as well as your digestive tracts. Other symptoms include abdominal cramps and constipation problems.
8. Bowel Obstruction
You may notice mucus in the stool if something blocks your bowels. Other symptoms of this condition include vomiting, constipation, painful cramps, and bloating of your abdomen.
9. Malabsorption Problems
It happens when your bowel is not able to absorb the necessary nutrients. Some of the conditions which are similar to this issue are lactose intolerance and suffering from Celiac disease.
10. Fistula
This infection causes pus to be created inside the body. It usually occurs in people suffering from Crohn’s disease. The fistula is responsible for adding mucus to your stool.
Read Also: Dengue Fever: All You Need to Know
The Bottom Line
Several conditions cause mucus in stool. A limited amount of mucus is perfectly normal, but if this happens in excess, consult a doctor immediately.