Green stool

Question

Hello,
does one have to worry if the color of the stool is greenish? I do however not have diarrhea with that. I did not eat vegetables, either. I am 27 years old.

Answer

Dear questioner,
you want to know, if you should be worried, because your stool has greenish color. You report to have no other complaints, especially no diarrhea, no stomach pain, no fever. We do not know, if greenish colored stool occurred once or repeatedly. In case of occurrence once or twice, you need not to worry. In case of repeated occurrence or greenish colored stool for a longer period of time you should contact your general practitioner or your CF physician and turn where necessary to a nutritional adviser.
As background information it is important to know that in case of healthy people, the greenish substances of the bile fluid are turned into brownish substances during the passage through the bowel and therefore the stool is excreted in brownish color.
A harmless cause for a greenish color of the stool can be the intake of certain foods. Hereby it deals with uncooked vegetables that contain chlorophyll (lamb's lettuce, parsley, green cabbage i.a.).
In case of a too fast bowel movement, as e.g. in case of diarrhea, the stool can stay greenish. Here, the diarrhea has to be treated first. In case of stronger or persisting dirrhea (for more than 3 days) one has also to take a salmonellosis into account, therefore an appointment at the doctor's office is necessary.
In case of CF patients, other causes of a greenish coloring of the stool should be taken into account. An antibiotic therapy, that is not too seldom in case of CF patients, can damage the gut flora and lets the stool stay greenish, then.
I hope to have helped you a bit with my remarks, however please be always aware of the fact that the expert team can only inform, however not advise neither treat.
On that note I wish you the best,
Yours sincerely,
Yours Dr. med. Christina Smaczny

29.04.2014