The feces or excrements are the waste that the human or animal organism expels at the end of its digestive process. They are made up of food remains that were not absorbed by the body, as they are not considered useful for it. Its appearance and consistency are of great importance for the clinical treatment of patients with gastrointestinal difficulties.
The shape, color and size, in addition to other characteristics that the stool may have, allow to provide enough information about the health of the person, such as giving clues to doctors of diseases that could be originating: digestive problems, infections, and even cancer.
There is a table widely used in medicine where the classification of human feces is found, this table was called the Bristol stool scale. This scale was created in 1977 at the University of Bristol, by Doctors Lewis and Heaton.
According to this scale, feces are classified into 7 types:
- Hard and separated pieces, which are difficult to expel: this type of excrement owes its extreme hardness, to the time that it has remained within the intestinal tract, showing symptoms of constipation and dehydration.
- Sausage-shaped but lumpy: they indicate dehydration and with an obvious sign of constipation.
- Similar to a blood sausage and with cracks on its surface: this type of stool is within the normal category, however it is not considered the most optimal.
- With a smooth, elongated and soft shape: this class of stool is considered by doctors as the most ideal, since it is soft and smooth, which indicates that the person has a healthy, balanced and hydrated diet.
- Piece of pasty mass: this kind of stool is easy to defecate and is usually defecated after the main meals of the day.
- Soft pieces, with irregular edges and a pasty consistency: this type of stool shows signs of possible diarrhea.
- Without solid traces, totally liquid: this type of stool is diarrheal and can be a sign of a possible infection, so it is recommended to see a doctor.
