Stools - foul smelling

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Lower digestive anatomy

Foul-smelling stool is usually associated with diet, but may be an indication of a medical condition.

Foul-smelling stools

Stool normally has an unpleasant odor, but one that is recognized as fairly common. Stools that have an extremely bad, out-of-the-ordinary odor may be associated with certain medical conditions. Foul-smelling stools also have normal causes, most notably diet.

Foul smelling stools may occur in conjunction with floating stools.

• Cystic fibrosis
• Gluten-induced enteropathy (sprue, celiac disease)
• Malabsorption
• Idiopathic steatorrhea (fatty stools with no known cause)
• Disaccharidase deficiency (insufficient amounts of the sugar-digesting enzymes)
• Short bowel syndrome
• Crohn's disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Infectious colitis (colon infections)
• Chronic pancreatitis

Review Date: 01/23/2006
Reviewed By: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.