Test for steatorrhea or excess fat in bowel movements due to fat. Helps to estimate the percentage of dietary fat that the body does not absorb
Normal range: <7 g of fat per 24 hours
Use
Aids in the diagnosis of malabsorption
As a follow-up to other stool tests and blood tests to investigate the cause of chronic diarrhea and loose, fatty, foul-smelling stools (steatorrhea)
Interpretation
A person who consumes 100 g of fat per day would have an average stool fat of <7 g/24 hours. Fecal excretion of more than 7 g of fat in a 24-hour period or more than 7% of the measured fat intake over a 3-day period is indicative of fat malabsorption or steatorrhea malabsorption.
Increased In
The absence or significant decrease of the pancreatic enzymes, amylase, lipase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin limits fat, protein, and carbohydrate digestion, resulting in steatorrhea due to fat malabsorption.
The underlying condition of steatorrhea includes
Celiac disease
Chronic pancreatitis
Crohn disease
Cystic fibrosis
Gallstones (cholelithiasis)
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatitis
Decreased In
NA
Limitations
For a 72-hour stool collection, 50 " “150 g of fat a day for 2 " “3 days prior to and during the stool collection period needs to be consumed. The fat should be long-chain triglycerides (such as corn or olive oil, not butter).
False-positive results can occur due to mineral oil or castor oil present in the specimen.