Fecal fat
Fecal fat is the passage of fat in the stool. Fat absorption is a complicated process so there are many potential causes. It can occur from diseases of the ileum such as crohn's disease or resection. It can also occur from an obstruction to bile flow.
Dr. Adam Steinlauf reviewed this
32 years experience
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Related questions
A 28-year old male asked:
What is the definition or description of: fecal fat?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 43-year old male asked:
Is a negative result on two separate qualitative fecal fat tests (one month apart) enough to rule out steatorrhea?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 32-year old female asked:
In a 16 mo old boy is 11% fecal fat considered normal? What about a stool pH of 8.5?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 35-year old male asked:
I'm currently doing a 72 hr stool collection to test for fecal fat. Why is my stool steaming in the container?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 43-year old female asked:
What is a high aliphatic carboxylate test result in fecal fat test indicative of? Reference value <25, mine 39.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 22-year old male asked:
Floating, smelly, greasy stools for months. Normal fecal fat, pancreatic elastase, and mg, but higher volume on stool test. What could cause this?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 34-year old male asked:
Would floating stool caused by fat sink after a few minutes? Worried its fat not gas. Had stool tests including fecal fat test but not 72hr one normal
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 34-year old male asked:
Stool is brown, formed and soft. Occ. Floats then sinks. Seems to have clear haze top of water. Had fecal fat test but not 72hr one. Fat malabsorption?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
A 34-year old male asked:
Worried about occ.Floating stool urq disc. Had CT scan, u.S. Hida scan and stool tests (did test fecal fat but not 72hr one). All tests normal. Worry?
3 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
A 35-year old male asked:
Doing a 72hr fecal fat test. If positive, what test would be next. Already had in last 2yrs. Normal colonoscopy, u.S., CT scan and other stool tests?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 59-year old male asked:
I have been having floating stools for a week, my GI doctor wants me to have a fecal fat testing done. I would like to know what the results would show and what would be the next step after that. Also been having abdominal pains, maybe IBS.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 43-year old male asked:
Had a stool sample done pancreatic elastase fecal by elisa was 668 ug/g which seems really high also fecal fat semiquantitative was abnormal +2 I'm really constipated never feel hungry. What are the possible issues here? GI track feels disconnected?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 42-year old male asked:
Floating stools sent me to gastro. Fecal fat high 13g/24 hrs but fecal elastase >500. Lost 5 pounds. 2 mris with contrast and Mrcp reveal normal pancreas and normal caliber of duct. Should I worry about Pancreatic cancer as cause of high fecal fat?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 34-year old male asked:
Are normal cbc, billuprin, amylase and lipase levels, CT scan and qualitative fecal fat test a good indication against pancreatic cancer?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
A 34-year old asked:
Fat droplets in stool what does that mean?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 32-year old asked:
Help! what causes the presence of fat in a stool?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 38-year old female asked:
My stool is always thick heavy pasty but soft but it's still hard to pass. What can I do to get my stool to become more light and loose?
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
A 39-year old male asked:
My stools have been floating for years. I've had stool tested for fat a couple of times and the results were negative. What could be the cause?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 34-year old male asked:
My stools have been very long and in large amounts at a time. I go daily. Stool is soft, formed and thick as sausage. But very long pieces. Concern?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 35-year old asked:
Why was my last stool white and looked like a fat worm?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 24-year old male asked:
Very dry fat stool and rubbery. What to do? Even though I've been taking lots of water?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 34-year old female asked:
Sudan IV test shows fat in stool. What is the next step to finding out why fat is being malabsorbed?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
A 28-year old male asked:
What would cause a sudden onset of passing small pebble stool covered in thick white mucus/fatty like substance?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 18-year old female asked:
I recently had stool with what looked like a red thick string, is this something I should get checked out right away?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 24-year old male asked:
My stool is never hard anymore. Always soft & mushy. Hard to pass. Why might this be? Sometimes easy cause it's thick watery.
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 35-year old male asked:
Every 2/3 weeks I have thick mucous in and around my stool. It's sticky, quite thick, and has the consistency of rubber cement. what is it?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 21-year old male asked:
My test show that i have malabsorption(fat and amydon on stool) . What diet should i have. And how can i find out what causes it? Thank you!
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 41-year old asked:
What foods cause orange oily fat in stool?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 31-year old female asked:
I have maroon colored thick mucus mixed in my stool. What would cause that?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 34-year old male asked:
Does floating stool caused by fat malabsorption have an obvious bad smell?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
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