Compared with the quality of stool, people are more concerned about the number of stools, for example, recently, I have met such two people, one of them has 1 stool every 3 days, and the other has 3 stools a day, except for the change in the number of stools, the stool characteristics of these two people are not abnormal.
The reason why these two people came to the hospital was because they were afraid of colorectal cancer.
In fact, colorectal cancer was finally ruled out through colonoscopy.
The question is, can the number of stools reflect the health of the intestines? What are the abnormalities that make us alert to the advent of colorectal cancer?
1. It depends on the quality of the stool
Relative to the number of bowel movements, in fact, the most important thing is to look at the quality of the stool, normal people's stool is cylindrical, the texture is very soft, and the surface is also smooth.
If there is a change in the following stool characteristics, it must be taken seriously.
These changes in stool quality include dry stools, like sheep feces particles, thinning stools that are even pasty or watery, and stools that are not soft and have a smooth surface.
These are signs of abnormal stool and should be taken seriously.
2. It depends on the color of the stool
The color of normal people's stool is yellow, and sometimes when they eat vegetables, the color will be darker and turn yellow-green, but the following colors should be paid attention to, such as bright red blood in the stool, at this time, do not simply mistake it for hemorrhoids, it is best to seek medical attention in time.
In addition, if the color of the stool is unknown and the dietary factor is excluded, it is also necessary to be alert to whether there is a problem with the intestines.
In other patients, the color of the stool suddenly appears to be a characteristic white clay color, which is often caused by obstructive jaundice, such as pancreatic cancer.
3. It depends on the habit of defecation
No matter how many times a day you have a bowel movement, as long as your bowel habits are very regular, you generally don't need to worry too much, for example, some people have three times a day to defecate, but these three times have a fixed time, very regular, at this time, there is generally no need to worry too much, but if these three times do not have any regularity, at this time, you should pay attention.
4. Pay attention to the smell of stool
Although the stool of normal people has a smell, it is a faint smell, if the smell is particularly strong, at this time, we should also be alert to the coming of the disease, such as intestinal cancer patients, due to constipation, the stool may have the same foul smell as rotten eggs.
In order to determine whether there is colorectal cancer in time, the most important way is to go to the hospital for a colonoscopy, colonoscopy can find masses in the rectum, sigmoid colon, descending colon, transverse colon, ascending colon and other parts, and pathological examination can be performed, so as to obtain the gold standard for diagnosing colorectal cancer.
Of course, early colorectal cancer may not necessarily have particularly typical symptoms, and it may not be painful or itchy, so for high-risk groups of colorectal cancer, timely colonoscopy will benefit greater.
High-risk groups for colorectal cancer include a family history of colorectal cancer, long-term smoking or alcohol abuse, lack of exercise, obesity, lack of dietary fiber in the diet, and people over 45 years old.