Question
My son is five and a half months old and has been having three to four loose stools a day. For nearly a month, he has been taking probiotics without any effect. Lately, he has been passing green stool with foam. How should a doctor handle this situation?
Answer
Green stools that are watery or paste-like, with a sour smell and abundant foam, are often seen in conditions such as dyspepsia and gastrointestinal dysfunction. If the green stool contains pus, it may indicate acute enteritis or bacterial dysentery. Patients who have had major abdominal surgery or those undergoing extensive antibiotic treatment may suddenly develop green watery stools with a fishy odor, accompanied by grayish-white, semi-transparent, film-like pseudomembranes, suggesting possible Staphylococcus aureus enteritis. Additionally, consuming large amounts of chlorophyll-rich foods or having excessively high intestinal acidity can also cause stools to turn green.