Stool samples can help doctors diagnose some health conditions. Tips for collecting a stool sample include urinating before collecting the sample and using any tools that the sample kit provides.

Pancreatic elastase is the digestive enzyme the pancreas produces to help digest food. Doctors can measure elastase levels by testing a stool sample. Low levels could indicate exocrine pancreatic ...

Lindsay Curtis is a health & medical writer in South Florida. She worked as a communications professional for health nonprofits and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of ...

Gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection that causes symptoms like diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Viruses, bacteria, and parasites can cause gastroenteritis. A ...

A patient who had repeatedly refused routine screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), despite having lost his 80-year-old father to the disease, was again advised to undergo a colonoscopy at age 56. He ...