Stool Color Changes Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Alcohol abuse: Use of alcoholic beverages to excess, either on individual occasions (binge...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

Antibody: An immunoglobulin, a specialized immune protein, produced because of the introdu...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

Bile: Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder a...

Biliary: Having to do with the gallbladder, bile ducts, or bile. The biliary system itself...

Bilirubin: A yellow-orange compound that is produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin from r...

Blood count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Cancer of the pancreas: See: Pancreatic cancer.

Carbohydrates: Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principa...

CBC: A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set...

Chemical reaction: A process in which one substance is transformed into another.

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic pancreatitis: A form of pancreatitis in which there is persistent inflammation of ...

Coagulation: In medicine, the clotting of blood. The process by which the blood clots to f...

Colon: The long, coiled, tubelike organ that removes water from digested food. The remaini...

Colon cancer: A malignant tumor arising from the inner wall of the large intestine (the co...

Colonoscopy: A procedure whereby a physician inserts a viewing tube (colonoscope) into the...

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

Computerized tomography: Pictures of structures within the body created by a computer that...

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Duct: A walled passageway, such as a lymph duct, that carries fluid from one place to anot...

EGD: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Endoscopy: Examination of the inside of the body by using a lighted, flexible instrument c...

Enzymes: Proteins that act as a catalysts in mediating and speeding a specific chemical re...

ERCP: Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography, a diagnostic procedure used to exam...

Esophagus: The tube that connects the pharynx (throat) with the stomach. The esophagus lie...

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

Fecal: Relating to the feces, the stool. The excrement discharged from the intestines.

Fecal occult blood test: A test to check for hidden blood in the stool.

Flatulence: Excess gas in the intestinal tract. But excess flatulence is difficult to defi...

FOBT: Fecal occult blood test.

Gallbladder: A pear-shaped organ located below the liver that stores the bile secreted by ...

Gallstones: Stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones can be as smal...

Gastroenterologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases...

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

Gastrointestinal tract: The stomach and intestines. Abbreviated GI tract.

Hemoglobin: The oxygen-carrying pigment and predominant protein in the red blood cells. He...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Internist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and medical treatment of adults. T...

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Iron: An essential mineral. Iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen (via hemoglobin ...

Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally h...

Large intestine: Comes after the small intestine. Large because it is wider than the smal...

Lightheadedness: A feeling you are "going to faint." Lightheadedness is medically distinc...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large org...

Magnetic resonance imaging: A procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer t...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Occult: Hidden. For example, occult blood in the stool is hidden from the eye but can be d...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pancreas: A spongy, tube-shaped organ that is about 6 inches long and is located in the ba...

Pancreatic: Having to do with the pancreas.

Pancreatic cancer: A malignant tumor of the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer has been called a ...

Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas. Of the many causes of pancreatitis, the most c...

Primary care: A patient's main source for regular medical care, ideally providing continui...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Rectal bleeding: Blood passed rectally. Blood in the stool can be bright red or maroon in ...

Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Small intestine: The part of the digestive tract that extends from the stomach to the larg...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Tomography: The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or s...

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...