Fecal Fat, Qualitative details
What Fecal Fat, Qualitative shows
Normally, nearly all the fat you eat is digested and absorbed in the small intestine, leaving only small amounts in your stool. This qualitative test stains a stool sample and examines it under a microscope to look for fat droplets. It is used when symptoms such as greasy, pale or foul-smelling stools, diarrhea or weight loss suggest fat malabsorption. An increased amount of fat can point to problems with the pancreas, bile flow or the lining of the small intestine, such as in celiac disease. It is a screening test, and results can be affected by recent diet, so an abnormal finding is usually followed up with further testing.
Tests that include Fecal Fat, Qualitative
Results may indicate malabsorption or maldigestion. False positive results can occur due to mineral oil or castor oil present in the specimen. Large number of neutral fat globules may indicate steatorrhea.
- Fecal Fat, Qualitative A stool test that checks for excess fat under the microscope, used to look for signs that fat is not being properly digested or absorbed.
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