Slime in the chair? Slimy stool and its causes

Slime in the stool should make everyone nervous, because slimy bowel movements – especially bloody mucus associated with diarrhea – can be signs of bigger problems. But phlegm in bowel movements isn’t always a longer problem. This article aims to show what the causes of the symptoms can be and what to do next. However, one by one.

Mucus in the stool? – Slimy bowel movements and their causes (© RetroColoring.com / Fotolia)

First of all: some basic knowledge

"Mucus" occurs in different places throughout the body and is a viscous secretion produced by mucous glands. Depending on the place of production and the associated special task, the composition of the mucus changes. The proteins associated with sugar are found in the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal (digestive) tract.

Your tasks include protecting sensitive tissues, preventing tissue drying out due to their hydrophilic properties and acting as a barrier against harmful microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses.

If the body is healthy, you can hardly see the formed mucus and if it does happen, it is clear and viscous. The consistency, color and amount of pathologically changed mucus provide important information on the path to diagnosis in the event of illness. There Blood and mucus in the stool are a symptom and not an independent disease, all other abnormalities on the body must always be taken into account .

Potential causes of mucus in the stool

☇ Slimy bowel movements due to changes in diet?

If the reason for the change in bowel movements is a sudden change in food, this is often only shown by the nature of the stool; for example, it is flat slightly slimy. Accompanying symptoms are rare and in general the symptoms go away on their own after only a few days.

A very fatty food or an abrupt switch to a carbohydrate-rich diet can be named as the causes or triggers of the problem.

Mucus in the bowel movement in babies It is important to mention babies as affected people. In the first year of life it can move away from breast milk and become firmer due to the change in diet food come to mucus in the baby’s chair. The increased production of saliva during teething can also increase the production of mucus in the intestine. Mucus in the bowel movement in babies irritates many parents of firstborn, but is not a problem in this context.

☇ food intolerance (lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance)

In general, all foods and their individual components can trigger food intolerance. In the western industrialized countries, the number of people affected by this disease complex has increased significantly in recent years.

The most important food intolerance is lactose intolerance. Due to the genetically determined digestive enzyme lacking lactase in the intestine can be found in the milk Lactose lactose cannot be digested. The body is unable to absorb the undigested sugar molecule in the small intestine and it reaches the large intestine, which is physiologically home to a large amount of intestinal bacteria. These microorganisms now metabolize the large molecule, which leads to the typical symptoms such as diarrhea (thin bowel movements), cramps in the abdomen (intestinal cramps, stomach cramps) and flatulence with a bloated stomach (bloating) (see also stomach pain). About 5% of the German population suffers from this enzyme deficiency.

It works with the same symptoms Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) associated. The hypersensitivity reaction to the dietary protein gluten was a classic immune reaction with inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. This disease is very rare and must not be associated with the more common and based on the same basic principle of the immune reaction wheat sensitivity be confused.

Mucus in bowel movements? – It’s not always bad, but blood and mucus in the stool should worry everyone at first… (© theblackrhino / Fotolia)

☇ infectious diseases (clostridia, candida, gastritis)

This acute disease complex manifests itself on the body severe pain during bowel movements, Diarrhea, changes in stool (yellowish, slimy stool due to the addition of dead immune cells) and can lead to dehydration and deficiency symptoms. The mucus would be more watery here because the inflammation also releases a lot of moisture from the mucus-producing cells (watery-mucous stool). In most cases, the trigger is one gastroenteritis a virus infection with rota or novoviruses (yellowish slimy stool).

A salmonella infection can also be the cause of the above-mentioned abnormalities. In general, however, this farm of gastrointestinal inflammation is more intensive and, in the worst case, can even be life-threatening.

Another bacterium (clostridia), clostridium difficile (clostridia), can also cause slimy discharge in the stool and abdominal cramps.

An infection with fungi in the intestine is also conceivable as the cause of slimy bowel movements. Candida also occurs as an intestinal fungus and triggers, for example, heartburn, bloating, flatulence, vomiting, stomach cramps, light, thin stool, undigested food residues, itching on the anus and hemorrhoids.

slimy thread in bowel movements? One sees slimy threads in bowel movements (slimy thread in the stool) there can be three basic diseases. First, it is about dead intestinal mucosa, secondly, due to the prolonged stay of stool at an intestinal site mucus containing fibrin or third around intestinal parasites such as pinworms. Pinworms cause severe itching at the anus at night. Roundworms also occur in humans and are characterized by their intestines, which can be recognized as a dark line in the middle of the body.

☇ Inflammatory bowel diseases (gastritis, gastro-enteritis)

The cause category of inflammatory bowel diseases is characterized by severe abdominal cramps, heavy bleeding or vomiting and stool changes.

Crohn’s disease is a disease whose exact mechanism has not yet been researched and which can spread from the mouth to the anus. In addition to an autoimmune disease (see Recognizing an autoimmune disease), triggers can also be a genetic defect, certain lifestyles or psychological events that lead to inflammation. This can be seen in toddlers through failure to thrive and in adults through vomiting. It is considered the preliminary stage of cancer.

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Ulcerative colitis on the other hand, leads to injuries to the intestinal mucosa and is also traded as a preliminary stage for cancer.

☇ cancer

colon cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed tumor types in Germany. The carcinoma occurs on the large intestine, rectum and anus and leads to occult blood in stool (hidden blood in the stool), irregular bowel movements, flatulence with a bloated stomach and rotten-purulent fishy smell (fishy smell, fishy smell), weight loss, sometimes severe pain and changes in stool , But even without blood in the stool, colon cancer must be considered.

Differentiate from colon cancer Polyps in the intestine. Polyps are small structures of the mucous membrane and are mostly harmless. By laying the intestinal tube, they can lead to indigestion such as slimy bowel movements, which disappears after the additions have been removed.

☇ irritable bowel syndrome

The mucus, which is formed by irritable bowel syndrome, contains no blood and is bright and clear (transparent). After eating, people with this problem are very susceptible to symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, thin bowel movements, audible bowel sounds and slimy bowel movements when eating certain foods. Examples of this would be alcohol, tea, caffeine, nicotine, tannins, acids, spicy or cold dishes. Stress can also be an important factor.

Regardless of the exact underlying disease, prolonged slimy stool is a disruptive factor for digestion. Diarrhea (see watery diarrhea), stomach pain, micro-lesions of the intestinal wall or chronic constipation (see help with constipation) are examples of complications.

Ursachen Other causes

Slimy stool after birth After the birth of a child, changes in the pressure situation can very rarely lead to the addition of mucus in the stool without blood. Slightly slimy soft feces are also possible when taking magnesium during pregnancy.

Slimy feces after suppositories, without blood. This symptom is reported again and again after the use of suppositories in adults and small children. The suppository leads to irritation of the intestinal mucosa and the result is a slightly slimy bowel movement.

Antibiotic therapies (through antibiotics) can also be responsible, cf. Side effect of antibiotics.

Therapy: what to do with mucus in the bowel movements?

What can you do now against all this??

With irritable bowel syndrome, a reduction in stress and a change in diet is important. Food intolerance only occurs when the non-tolerated food is consumed and so it must be avoided.
The administration of fluids and supportive medication is important for gastrointestinal infections.
Colon cancer and polyps can only be managed with surgical measures.
In any case, however, you can support the intestine with Schüssler salts or cures with psyllium / psyllium husk. The psyllium husks of the psyllium have a high binding capacity for slag in the intestine and thus clean.
Suitable Schuessler salts would be: No.3 (Ferrum phosphoricum) D12 alternating with No.4 (potassium chloratum) D6.

prophylaxis

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In this case, prophylaxis is difficult to describe, since a whole range of diseases can be the cause of mucus in the stool.

However, what can be said with certainty is that the intestine needs enough time and rest for one quality To allow digestion. If you have to go to the toilet, you should allow yourself enough time even in the most stressful conditions.
Even "squeezing" until you finally find time to go to the toilet is by no means healthy.
What can also be helpful is a psyllium cure. This cure, available in the pharmacy or in good health food stores, transports slag from the intestine, which is there for issues can worry. The flea seeds combine with water to form a gelatinous mass, which then encloses the deposited substances and discharges them from the intestine.
Regular exercise also really gets the intestines going and in combination with a healthy high-fiber diet, the course is set for a physiological bowel movement.