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What Causes Occasional Abdominal Pain And Loose Stools?
Question: what could it be if I have occasional loose stool and undigested food in stool. I was tested positive for white blood cells in stool. I'm just wondering what this may be.. occasional abdominal pain too but not too often, also a little trouble sleeping. .
Brief Answer:
It can be due to infection, inflammation or parasite
Detailed Answer:
Hello! Thanks for putting your query in HCM. I can understand your concerns
Presence of white blood cells suggest:
1. Inflammaotry bowel diarrhoea like ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease
2. bacterial infection
3. parasitic infection
In the presence of loose stool and occasional abdominal pain with white blood cells in stool can be due to any of the above.
So I will suggest you to get stool examination for ova, cyst or trophozoite. Stool culture and blood examination and sigmoidoscopy (examination of the colon from anus to sigmoid colon) since it is the most common site involved in bacterial infection and ulcerative colitis, or it will be rather better to undergo full colonoscopy especially if sigmoidoscopy is normal.
After these test the cause of white blood cells will be confirmed and then it can be treated accordingly since the treatment of all three condition is different
I hope I have answered your query and this will help you. If you have any further query I will be happy to answer that too. Remain in touch and get-well soon.
It can be due to infection, inflammation or parasite
Detailed Answer:
Hello! Thanks for putting your query in HCM. I can understand your concerns
Presence of white blood cells suggest:
1. Inflammaotry bowel diarrhoea like ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease
2. bacterial infection
3. parasitic infection
In the presence of loose stool and occasional abdominal pain with white blood cells in stool can be due to any of the above.
So I will suggest you to get stool examination for ova, cyst or trophozoite. Stool culture and blood examination and sigmoidoscopy (examination of the colon from anus to sigmoid colon) since it is the most common site involved in bacterial infection and ulcerative colitis, or it will be rather better to undergo full colonoscopy especially if sigmoidoscopy is normal.
After these test the cause of white blood cells will be confirmed and then it can be treated accordingly since the treatment of all three condition is different
I hope I have answered your query and this will help you. If you have any further query I will be happy to answer that too. Remain in touch and get-well soon.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
is it possible that if it's a parasite infection it might go away on its own? only reason for me asking is I feel like the abdominal pain is getting better and the loose stool is only occasionally...
Brief Answer:
if things are better and resolving then wait for time being
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
It may be possible in case of bacterial or parasitic infecrion that it may has resolved.
So what I will suggest to you as all the things are going better then wait for few more days and if it is resolved completely then dont go for test and if after few more days the symptoms persist then go for the tests I recommended earlier.
Wish you a good health
if things are better and resolving then wait for time being
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
It may be possible in case of bacterial or parasitic infecrion that it may has resolved.
So what I will suggest to you as all the things are going better then wait for few more days and if it is resolved completely then dont go for test and if after few more days the symptoms persist then go for the tests I recommended earlier.
Wish you a good health
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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