Studies of fecal masses in order to identify their chemical, physiological and microscopic composition is called a coprogram. Due to this analysis, the doctor can identify the absence of pathological processes or diagnose the disease, and further monitor the development of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment.
Using the coprogram, you can identify the following diseases:
- dysbiosis;
- abnormalities in the work of the stomach;
- malfunctions in the liver, intestines and pancreas;
- detection of accelerated evacuation from the stomach and intestines;
- The presence of colitis and inflammation in the digestive tract.
How to collect a feces for a coprogram?
In order for the coprogram to show the best possible result, some preparatory procedures should be carried out.
- To begin with, you must stop taking medications that affect the digestive system. This is especially true of infants, who suffer from colic and take special medications.
- If the analysis is conducted with the purpose of revealing the hidden blood, then medicines and products influencing the blood should be excluded from the ration: meat, tomatoes, fish, greens and green vegetables.
- It is advisable to adhere to a special diet consisting of dairy products, butter, eggs, potatoes and white bread 3-5 days before taking the test.
- For analysis, it is necessary to collect morning feces in a clean and dry container. During the fence, it is important to ensure that urine and other excreta do not enter the feces.
Coprogram in children: transcript
Reaction of feces . Normally, in children who are on mixed foods, the coprogram shows a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction (pH 6-7.6). The expressed alkaline medium occurs when the food proteins rot (undigested residues in the intestine and stomach). A pronounced acidic medium is noted when absorption in the small intestine of fatty acids is impaired.
Protein . In the feces of a healthy child, there is no protein. Its presence suggests inflammatory processes and bleeding in the area of the small and large intestine.
Blood . A positive reaction to erythrocytes in the coprogram indicates the presence of bleeding, which can be with ulcers, polyposis, etc. The reaction to "hidden blood" in a coprogram in a healthy person should be negative. The presence of leukocytes (white blood cells) in the coprogram indicates an inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract.
Bilirubin . Normally bilirubin can be present only in the feces of a child up to 3 months of age, who is breastfed. Later in the gastrointestinal tract a normal bacterial flora is formed, in which only sterocilinogen-stercobilin should be present.
Muscle fibers are divided into changed and unchanged. Normally, only altered muscle fibers are contained. The detection of unchanged fibers indicates a violation of the functions of the stomach and pancreas.
Vegetable fiber . The digested fiber is usually not found, because it is split under the influence of microcloflora. Non-digested fiber can be contained in excessive consumption of food, rich in indigestible fiber.
Fat in the feces . In the stool of a healthy person, fat is present only in the form of fatty acids, their crystals and soaps, which are found in small amounts. The abundant amount of neutral fat and fatty acids in the coprogram indicates dysfunction of the pancreas, liver or bile ducts.
Starch is normally absent. The presence of starch in the coprogram indicates a lack of digestion of carbohydrates due to disruption of the pancreas, as well as with fermentation dyspepsia.
Iodophilic flora in the coprogram should be absent or present in a minimal amount. Iodophilic microorganisms (cocci, rods, yeast cells) are not a sign of the disease, but indicate a violation of the intestinal microflora.
Yeast fungi in the child's coprogram, especially in the baby, can also talk about the violation of the intestinal microflora. When a significant amount of fungi is detected, antimycotic therapy is prescribed.