BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuStools - pale or clay-coloredStools that are pale, clay, or putty-colored may be due to problems in the biliary system. The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. Considerations The liver releases bile salts into the stool, giving it a normal brown color. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile out of the liver is blocked.BileBile is a fluid that is made and released by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps with digestion. It breaks down fats into fatty acid...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools. This may be due to the buildup of bile chemicals in the body.JaundiceJaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Causes Possible causes for clay-colored stools include:Alcoholic hepatitis Alcoholic hepatitisAlcoholic liver disease is damage to the liver and its function due to alcohol abuse.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Biliary cirrhosis Biliary cirrhosisCirrhosis is scarring of the liver and poor liver function. It is the last stage of chronic liver disease.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Cancer or noncancerous (benign) tumors of the liver, biliary system, or pancreas Cysts of the bile ducts Gallstones GallstonesGallstones are hard deposits that form inside the gallbladder. These may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Some medicines Narrowing of the bile ducts (biliary strictures) Biliary stricturesA bile duct stricture is an abnormal narrowing, most often of the common bile duct. This is a tube that moves bile from the liver to the small intes...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Sclerosing cholangitis Sclerosing cholangitisSclerosing cholangitis refers to swelling (inflammation), scarring, and destruction of the bile ducts inside and outside of the liver.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Structural problems in the biliary system that are present from birth (congenital) Viral hepatitisViral hepatitisHepatitis is swelling and inflammation of the liver.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article There may be other causes not listed here. When to Contact a Medical Professional Contact your health care provider if your stools are not the normal brown color for several days. What to Expect at Your Office Visit The provider will perform a physical exam. They will ask questions about your medical history and symptoms. Questions may include:When did the symptom first occur? Is every stool discolored? What medicines do you take? What other symptoms do you have? Tests that may be done include:Blood tests, including tests to check liver function and for viruses that might affect the liver Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreat...ERCP is short for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. It is a procedure that looks at the bile and pancreatic ducts. It is done through...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Imaging studies, such as an abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI of liver and bile ducts Abdominal ultrasoundAbdominal ultrasound is a type of imaging test. It is used to look at organs in the abdomen, including the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article CT scanAn abdominal CT scan is an imaging method. This test uses x-rays to create cross-sectional pictures of the belly area. CT stands for computed tomog...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Open ReferencesReferencesKorenblat KM, Berk PD. Approach to the patient with jaundice or abnormal liver tests. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 138.Lidofsky SD. Jaundice. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 21.Marks RA, Saxena R. Liver diseases of childhood. In: Saxena R, ed. Practical Hepatic Pathology: A Diagnostic Approach. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 5.AllVideoImagesTogLower digestive anatomy - illustration Food passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine all nutrient absorption occurs. Whatever has not been absorbed by the small intestine passes into the colon. In the colon most of the water is absorbed from the food residue. The residue is then eliminated from the body as feces.Lower digestive anatomyillustrationLower digestive anatomy - illustration Food passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine all nutrient absorption occurs. Whatever has not been absorbed by the small intestine passes into the colon. In the colon most of the water is absorbed from the food residue. The residue is then eliminated from the body as feces.Lower digestive anatomyillustrationRelated Information Bile(Special Topic) Review Date: 7/30/2022 Reviewed By: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. 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Stools - pale or clay-coloredStools that are pale, clay, or putty-colored may be due to problems in the biliary system. The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas. Considerations The liver releases bile salts into the stool, giving it a normal brown color. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile out of the liver is blocked.BileBile is a fluid that is made and released by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps with digestion. It breaks down fats into fatty acid...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools. This may be due to the buildup of bile chemicals in the body.JaundiceJaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Causes Possible causes for clay-colored stools include:Alcoholic hepatitis Alcoholic hepatitisAlcoholic liver disease is damage to the liver and its function due to alcohol abuse.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Biliary cirrhosis Biliary cirrhosisCirrhosis is scarring of the liver and poor liver function. It is the last stage of chronic liver disease.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Cancer or noncancerous (benign) tumors of the liver, biliary system, or pancreas Cysts of the bile ducts Gallstones GallstonesGallstones are hard deposits that form inside the gallbladder. These may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Some medicines Narrowing of the bile ducts (biliary strictures) Biliary stricturesA bile duct stricture is an abnormal narrowing, most often of the common bile duct. This is a tube that moves bile from the liver to the small intes...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Sclerosing cholangitis Sclerosing cholangitisSclerosing cholangitis refers to swelling (inflammation), scarring, and destruction of the bile ducts inside and outside of the liver.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Structural problems in the biliary system that are present from birth (congenital) Viral hepatitisViral hepatitisHepatitis is swelling and inflammation of the liver.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article There may be other causes not listed here. When to Contact a Medical Professional Contact your health care provider if your stools are not the normal brown color for several days. What to Expect at Your Office Visit The provider will perform a physical exam. They will ask questions about your medical history and symptoms. Questions may include:When did the symptom first occur? Is every stool discolored? What medicines do you take? What other symptoms do you have? Tests that may be done include:Blood tests, including tests to check liver function and for viruses that might affect the liver Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreat...ERCP is short for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. It is a procedure that looks at the bile and pancreatic ducts. It is done through...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Imaging studies, such as an abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI of liver and bile ducts Abdominal ultrasoundAbdominal ultrasound is a type of imaging test. It is used to look at organs in the abdomen, including the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article CT scanAn abdominal CT scan is an imaging method. This test uses x-rays to create cross-sectional pictures of the belly area. CT stands for computed tomog...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Open ReferencesReferencesKorenblat KM, Berk PD. Approach to the patient with jaundice or abnormal liver tests. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 138.Lidofsky SD. Jaundice. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 21.Marks RA, Saxena R. Liver diseases of childhood. In: Saxena R, ed. Practical Hepatic Pathology: A Diagnostic Approach. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 5.