Stools - foul smelling

Alternative names:

foul-smelling stools

Definition:

Stool with an unusually foul smell.

Considerations:

Stool normally has an unpleasant odor but one that is recognized as fairly common. Stools that have an extremely bad, out of the ordinary odor, may be associated with certain medical conditions. Foul-smelling stools also have normal causes, most notably diet.

Foul smelling stools may occur in conjunction with floating stools.

Common causes:

• cystic fibrosis
• gluten-induced enteropathy (sprue, celiac disease)
• idiopathic steatorrhea (fatty stools with no known cause)
• disaccharidase deficiency (insufficient amounts of the sugar-digesting enzymes lactase, sucrase, or isomaltase)
• short bowel syndrome
• biliary atresia
• Crohns disease
• ulcerative colitis
• infections of the colon (certain types)
• HUS (hemolytic-uremic syndrome)

Note: There may be other causes of foul-smelling stools. This list is not all inclusive, and the causes are not presented in order of likelihood. The causes of this symptom can include unlikely diseases and medications. Furthermore, the causes may vary based on age and gender of the affected person, as well as on the specific characteristics of the symptom such as quality, time course, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and associated complaints. Use the Symptom Analysis option to explore the possible explanations for foul-smelling stools, occurring alone or in combination with other problems.