A fecal pH test is one where a specimen of

feces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a rela ...

is tested for

acidity In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

in order to diagnose a medical condition. The pH of human feces is variable but usually

alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of ...

ne. An acidic stool can indicate a digestive problem such as

lactose intolerance Lactose intolerance is a common condition caused by a decreased ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Those affected vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop. Symptoms may include abdominal pa ...

, an infection such as '' E. coli'' or

rotavirus ''Rotavirus'' is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family ''Reoviridae''. Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotaviru ...

, or overgrowth of acid-producing bacteria (such as

lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillales are an order of gram-positive, low-GC, acid-tolerant, generally nonsporulating, nonrespiring, either rod-shaped ( bacilli) or spherical ( cocci) bacteria that share common metabolic and physiological characteristics. These bact ...

). The average pH for a healthy person is 6.6.{{cite web, title=010991: pH, Stool, url=https://healthmatters.io/understand-blood-test-results/stool-ph

Test procedure

The test is fast and can be performed in a doctor's office. A patient must not be receiving antibiotics. At least half a milliliter of feces is collected, and a strip of nitrazine paper is dipped in the sample and compared against a color scale. A pH of less than 5.5 indicates an acidic sample.{{cite web, title=eMedicine - Gastroenteritis, Bacterial : Article by Jennifer Lynn Bonheur, MD, url=http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic855.htm

Results

Unhealthy individuals with a higher or lower pH rate have been observed having a higher mortality rate. A high alkaline pH rating is associated with the body's inability to create enough acid along with undigested food.{{cite journal , vauthors = Osuka A, Shimizu K, Ogura H, Tasaki O,Hamasaki T, Asahara T, Nomoto K, Morotomi M, Kuwagata Y, Shimazu T , title = Prognostic impact of fecal pH in critically ill patients , journal = Critical Care , volume = 16 , issue = 4 , pages = R119 , date = July 2012 , pmid = 22776285 , pmc = 3580696 , doi = 10.1186/cc11413

References

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Test procedure

Results

References

See also