Bristol stool scale
The Bristol stool scale is a medical diagnosis tool used by doctors to classify the way feces looks into seven different categories.[1] It is also known by the names Bristol stool chart and Bristol stool form scale.
It was developed at Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1997 as a clinical assessment tool, but is also used to help with patients who cannot speak, so that they can show their doctor if they have a problem with their bowels (a clinical communication aid). It is also used to help diagnose Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Understanding the scale
changeThe seven types of feces shown by the scale are:
- Type 1: Separate hard lumps, like nuts (hard to pass)
- Type 2: Sausage-shaped, but lumpy
- Type 3: Like a sausage but with cracks on its surface
- Type 4: Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft
- Type 5: Soft blobs with clear cut edges (passed easily)
- Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool
- Type 7: Watery, no solid pieces, entirely liquid
Feces that look like Type 3 and Type 4 have a normal shape. Feces that look like Type 1 and Type 2 are a sign of constipation. Feces that look like Type 6 and Type 7 are a sign of diarrhea.[2] Feces that look like Type 5 is a sign of lacking fiber.
References
change- ↑ Koh, H.; Lee, MJ.; Kim, MJ.; Shin, JI.; Chung, KS. (February 2010). "Simple diagnostic approach to childhood fecal retention using the Leech score and Bristol stool form scale in medical practice". J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 25 (2): 334–8. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.06015.x. PMID 19817956. S2CID 46258249.
- ↑ Lacy BE, Patel NK (2017). "Rome Criteria and a Diagnostic Approach to Irritable Bowel Syndrome". J Clin Med (Review). 6 (11): 99. doi:10.3390/jcm6110099. PMC 5704116. PMID 29072609.
