Clinical chemistry of

stool
 Chemistry of stool
• Stool is a waste product of digestion which is excreted by the bowels

Composition of stool
• Indigestible food materials Eg. Cellulose fibres
• Undigested food eg. Fats starch granules and muscle fibres
• Water
• Mucus
• Cells eg. Epithelial cells
• Bacteria (normal flora)
• Enzymes eg. Trypsin
• why we need Chemical test for stool
Stool is not just a simple waste material. Some stool
tests can be easily used in primary care in the differential
diagnosis of disorders such as gastrointestinal infections,
malabsorption syndromes, and inflammatory bowel
diseases
include microscopic examination,& chemical,
Most tests for chemistry stool

• include:

PH test for stool

Malabsorption syndrome ( elastase stool test, )
 occult blood
 PH test for stool
A healthy result should fall into the range 6.1 - 7.9 pH.
A fecal pH test is one where a specimen of feces is tested for acidity
in order to diagnose a medical condition.
Human feces is normally acidic.
The average pH for a healthy person is a pH of 6.6.
• Stool pH is dependent in part on fermentation of sugars. Colonic
fermentation of normal amounts of carbohydrate sugars and
production of fatty acids accounts for the normally slightly acidic
ph.
• A Low ph:
 A stool pH below 6.0 may be the result of carbohydrate mal
absorption or parasitic infection eg. Amoebic dysentery
• High ph: chronic diarrhea , antibiotics use Excess protein in diet
bacterial infection eg. Bacillary dysentery
Stool elastase test :
This test measures the amount of
elastase in your stool. Elastase is an
enzyme made by special tissue in the
pancreas, an organ in your upper
abdomen. Elastase helps break down
fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
 after you eat. It's a key part of your 
digestive process
What is a fecal occult blood test?
• Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is testing that is performed on
sample of stool in order to detect occult blood (blood that is not visible
to the naked eye) in otherwise normal-colored stool. Fecal occult blood
usually is a result of slow bleeding from inside the upper or lower
gastrointestinal tract. The slow bleed does not change the color of the
stool or result in visible bright red blood. Therefore, the blood is found
only by testing the stool for blood in the laboratory. Occult bleeding has
many of the same causes as other forms of more rapid gastrointestinal
bleeding, such as rectal bleeding
m
References
 https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=feacal+elastate+test
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_pH_test
 https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/fecal-occult-blood-test-fobt/
 https://
www.google.nl/search?q=fecal+ph&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUK
Ewj52_ianOfnAhWDs3EKHQvBAJwQ_AUoAXoECA0QAw&biw=1366&bih=576#i
mgrc=XuhgQadyVgjO0M
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oot0utAyf10
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udm754frcs0