Expert answer:
Stools with mucus may occur in normal situations, since the mucus is a component secreted by intestine thick and which is sometimes eliminated along with stools when there is an increase in bowel movements, such as when eating some food with a laxative effect.
However, when mucus becomes frequent, abundant and appears accompanied by other signs and symptoms may mean the presence of some intestinal disorder, such as:
- Dysentery: It is a net loss characterized by the presence of blood and mucus in the stool. It is usually caused by some bacteria or viruses that invaded the intestinal mucosa;
- Irritable bowel syndrome: It is not a disease but rather a set of symptoms that include abdominal pain, bloating, "trapped gut" and diarrhea. It is common to have alternation between diarrhea and constipation, and mucus may also appear with the stool;
- Intestinal polyps: They are benign tumors that arise due to abnormal growth of intestinal mucosal cells. In most cases, the polyps are small and do not cause any symptoms. However, larger polyps can cause intestinal obstruction or bleeding, as well as the possibility of mucus in the stool;
- Tumors of colon and rectum: Bowel cancer may not cause symptoms in the early stages. However, in the advanced stages, anemia, cramps, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea may occur. Feces may have blood and mucus;
- Crohn's disease: It is an inflammatory disease that affects the bowel more often, but can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract. Its symptoms include diarrhea (with or without mucus in the stool), abdominal pain and weight loss;
- Ulcerative colitis: It is an inflammation of the mucosa located within the wall of the intestine. Its main symptom is diarrhea with the presence of blood and mucus in the stool, which can also cause abdominal pain, fever and weight loss.
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If the mucus in the stool is accompanied by other symptoms, consult your family doctor, general practitioner or gastroenterologist for a detailed evaluation.
