This is indeed a matter of concern if you have difficulties in your Bowel system. This is a complication in the body and should be diagnosed as early as possible. Do not ignore it and consult your Doctor telling him all the difficulties that you are having.
Finding Mucus in the stool is sometimes normal but sometimes it is alarming, and it’s time to see a Doctor.
What is mucus?
Mucus is jelly like vicious substance white or yellow in color that lines the large intestines, lungs, throat and sinuses. The main function of mucus is to lubricate these organs for the easy passage of stool. So it is normal to have mucus in stool and, in fact, it is there in the stool in such a small quantity that our naked eyes cannot see them. Our body naturally produces Mucus when there is a disease; it is a way by which the body heals itself. But if there is excess mucus found in the stool then it is a sign of disease, especially if the mucus is accompanied by pus or blood or there is a change in the color of the mucus in poop.
Discussed under are the 6 major causes behind excess mucus in poop. Have a look at these causes.
Mucus In Stool Causes
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
This is perhaps the most common cause behind mucus stool. This is often accompanied by bloating, pain in the stomach, increased or decreased bowels, etc.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome commonly called IBS has no specific cause but can be cured if properly diagnosed. There are different medicines to cure each of the symptoms differently. This disease affects the large intestines and the colon and can cause excessive passage of white mucus in stool.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases as Irritable Bowel Syndrome is also known by, also include Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease. In the case of Ulcerative Colitis, the mucus membranes that form the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed and forms small sore like openings are known as Ulcers. These Ulcers may bleed and also produce excessive mucus in stool.
In the case of Crohn’s disease, the immune function of the body gets weakened. This disease is also associated with anal fissure. Sometimes surgery becomes necessary to cure these diseases. Otherwise maintaining a healthy diet and proper medication is enough to cure this disease.
Dehydration
Finding excess white mucus in stool is a dehydration symptom. Sometimes there are things that are obstructing your bowel from functioning normally. Maybe it is because of dehydration or some kinds of allergies that are causing such inflammations and excess mucus stool. To cure this, you need to increase the water intake or to find out which food is causing the allergy. Or sometimes it becomes essential to undergo surgery in case of anatomical obstruction of the bowel movements. This mucus in stool is a dehydration which leads to serious problems if not treated properly and your body becomes dry because of lack of water.
Proctitis
It is a disease wherein the inner lining of the rectum gets inflated causing difficulties in the passage of the stool. This inflammation of the rectum may be caused due to various reasons like radiation therapies, food allergies or even sexually transmitted diseases. It causes passing of mucus along with rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. It can be cured by the dosage of antibiotics if the disease is not chronic or it may also need to operate to cure the inflammation.
Bacteria
Bacteria such as Shigella, Campylobacter, Yersinia and Salmonella may cause passage of mucus through the stool. These bacterial infections can attack you if you are exposed to raw meat. Shigella bacteria attack the intestinal lining if you have taken contaminated water or food. Bacterial Infections are also associated with other symptoms like high fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps which can be cured by giving a dosage of antibiotics. But if the symptoms persist then you should consult the doctor.
Virus
The virus can also cause excessive mucus in stool. Viral causes can be an astrovirus, rotavirus or norovirus. Maintaining proper hygiene and proper dosage of antibiotics can help keep these diseases at bay.
A little mucus in the stool is normal, but if there is excessive mucus seen in the stool accompanied by blood or pus in the stool, fever and dehydration consult your doctor immediately. Proper medication can relieve you from the excessive mucus production and its underlying symptoms.
