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Steatocrit
Steatocrit or acid steatocrit is a simple, rapid gravimetric method to determine steatorrhea. The test is simple, rapid, inexpensive, and reliable. It is a qualitative test that can be used when other methods are impractical. __TOC__ Elevated steatocrit An elevated steatocrit is indicative of fat malabsorption resulting in steatorrhea. This generally results from pancreatic exocrine insufficiency but can also occur with severe small bowel disease i.e. celiac disease, liver diseases such as Primary Biliary Cirrhosis or medications that inhibit fat absorption such as orlistat. See also * Medical test * Steatorrhea * Stool tests * Gastroenterology * Chronic pancreatitis * Malabsorption syndrome Malabsorption is a state arising from abnormality in absorption of food nutrients across the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Impairment can be of single or multiple nutrients depending on the abnormality. This may lead to malnutrition and a variety ... References * * *{{cite journal , ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steatorrhea Steatorrhea (or steatorrhoea) is the presence of excess fat in feces. Stools may be bulky and difficult to flush, have a pale and oily appearance, and can be especially foul-smelling. An oily anal leakage or some level of fecal incontinence may occur. There is increased fat excretion, which can be measured by determining the fecal fat level. The definition of how much fecal fat constitutes steatorrhea has not been standardized. Causes Impaired digestion or absorption can result in fatty stools. Possible causes include exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, with poor digestion from lack of lipases, loss of bile salts, which reduces micelle formation, and small intestinal disease-producing malabsorption. Various other causes include certain medicines that block fat absorption or indigestible or excess oil/fat in diet. The absence of bile secretion can cause the feces to turn gray or pale. Bile is responsible for the brownish color of feces. Other features of fat malabsorption may ... [...More Info...] |