Patients with steatorrhea present with bulky, pale, foul-smelling oily stools. These fatty stools tend to float in the toilet bowl and often challenging to flush as well. In the early stages, steatorrhea may be asymptomatic and go unnoticed.
Fatty poops are different from normal poops. They tend to be looser, smellier and paler in color, like clay. They might float. You might have an occasional fatty poop after eating a fatty meal.
Although several conditions can lead to impaired lipid absorption and steatorrhea (excess fat in the feces), the most common causes of steatorrhea are related to bile salt deficiency, pancreatic enzyme deficiency, defective CM synthesis, or lymphatic obstruction.
What does steatorrhea stool look like? Steatorrhea, or fatty stools, are foul-smelling and may be loose and bulkier than usual. They will float and may appear to be filled with mucus, froth, or foam, and will be lighter in color.
Fat malabsorption
Fatty stools are greasy and runny and particularly smelly. They may be light-colored and float. Fat malabsorption also leads to the malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
If your poop floats, there's a slight chance you have steatorrhea, which means you have too much fat in your poop. Steatorrhea indicates you can't absorb fat properly, and it can be a symptom of the following conditions: Celiac disease.
If left untreated, steatorrhea can lead to severe malnutrition due to inability of gastrointestinal tract to absorb fat soluble vitamins and ultimately severe weight loss. Complication of steatorrhea include anemia, intestinal obstruction, weight loss.
This is an inherited condition that affects your sweat and mucous glands, as well as various organs in your body, including the pancreatic glands. If steatorrhea is due to malabsorption, it can most often be related to problems with pancreas function. The pancreatic juices are important in digesting fat content.
Medications used to treat and prevent steatorrhea include: intravenous fluids (IV) to restore electrolytes and stop dehydration. anti-diarrheal medications. pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT)
In some cases, steatorrhea may be a symptom of a life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Temporary steatorrhea may result from dietary changes or intestinal infections.
Warning Signs of Bile Acid Deficiency
People with a bile acid deficiency may exhibit various signs or symptoms, including: Vitamin deficiencies, specifically of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. Jaundice, the classic yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
Steatorrhea occurs only when 90% of pancreatic output has been lost, due to inadequate delivery of both lipase and bicarbonate. The acidic environment further inactivates what lipase may be present and precipitates bile salts, worsening fat absorption.
In patients with bile acid malabsorption, a larger amount of bile acids is spilled into the colon, where the acids stimulate electrolyte and water secretion, which results in loose to watery stools.
If left untreated, steatorrhea can lead to severe malnutrition due to inability of gastrointestinal tract to absorb fat soluble vitamins and ultimately severe weight loss. Complication of steatorrhea include anemia, intestinal obstruction, weight loss.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and Crohn's disease: All of these conditions of the bowel and intestine are inflammatory conditions that impact how well nutrients and fats are absorbed by the body. Therefore, gut issues like these can all cause greasy, fatty stools.
Increased gas in the stool allows it to float. Floating stools may also happen if you have a gastrointestinal infection. Floating, greasy stools that are foul smelling may be due to severe malabsorption, particularly if you are losing weight. Malabsorption means your body is not properly absorbing nutrients.
Stools should be brown, have a peanut-butter texture, and look like a sausage. If your stool has an abnormal color or consistency, it may be due to something you ate or an underlying medical condition in need of investigation by a healthcare provider.
Regardless of the cause, malabsorption syndrome refers to the clinical picture comprising diarrhea, steatorrhea, malnutrition, weight loss, abdominal pain, and anemia. Undigested food produces diarrhea, due to its voluminous effect in the bowel lumen.
Multiple stool studies can be performed to evaluate any patient with malabsorption particularly when it manifests as diarrhea. The patient is asked to ingest at least 80gm of fat per day, and stools are collected for 1–3 days. The total amount of fat excreted in the stool is determined in the laboratory.
Abdominal bloating. Abdominal pain. A feeling of fullness after eating just a few bites. Vomiting undigested food eaten a few hours earlier.
Typically, the body reabsorbs the bile and recycles it. When it doesn't, it causes a condition called bile acid malabsorption, with diarrhoea as the primary symptom. Crohn's disease, gallstones, coeliac disease, and other diseases of the digestive system may cause bile acid malabsorption.