The most common causes of yellow diarrhea are related to the liver, gallbladder, or small intestine and can be a sign of a serious health problem, including parasitic infection, liver disease, and intestinal disease. Diarrhea that resolves in a day or two and is often associated with diet or medication. Pale stools and chronic yellow diarrhea suggest more serious causes, such as gallstones or cancer.
If diarrhea persists for more than two days, a doctor may perform a stool culture or blood test or may suggest avoiding certain foods to assess the risk of more serious conditions. Medical history and a physical exam are also key to determining the cause of persistent diarrhea. Most experts will agree that eliminating toxins, avoiding fatty foods, and consuming electrolytes are essential to resolving diarrhea quickly.
If yellow diarrhea comes on suddenly, the most common cause is a bacterial or parasitic infection, especially if the victim also has bloody stools. Usually by consuming contaminated food and/or water, bacteria and parasites can enter the body and settle in the small intestine, where they can cause a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, including yellow diarrhea. Bacteria and parasites that cause diarrhea include salmonella, Escherichia coli Y Giardia lamblia . Treatment might include antibiotics instead of over-the-counter drugs like loperamide and bismuth subsalicylate. Also, a viral infection can cause severe diarrhea and usually resolves on its own within three to seven days.
Yellow diarrhea can also be caused by a liver or gallbladder problem. Also, liver and gallbladder problems are often accompanied by pain under the right rib cage. Pain below the left side suggests problems with the pancreas or spleen. The color of the stool is directly related to the amount of bile salts excreted from the liver. If this process is inhibited in some way, such as by a gallstone, the stool will gradually change color and turn pale yellow or gray.
If the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder suffer from fat malabsorption, stool can become yellow or gray, soft, and smelly, as well as difficult to pass. Cancer is also a possibility for those with chronic yellow diarrhea that persists for more than four weeks. On a lighter note, some antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, and antacids that contain magnesium can affect the liver and cause yellow diarrhea. One should consult a doctor for alternative remedies and treatments if necessary.
Regarding the small intestine, a variety of intestinal diseases can cause chronic yellow diarrhea along with fever, bloody stools, and abdominal pain, just to name a few. If these symptoms are present, a physical exam is likely to include a medical history and physical exam, stool culture, or colonoscopy. Blood tests can be used to determine if a patient is at risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease. These illnesses are serious, and the severity of symptoms can be reduced by avoiding fatty foods, eliminating gluten, and identifying other contributing factors.