High stool frequency
What this marker measures
Whether the patient reported typically passing a bowel motion more than 3 times per day.
Health categories/Interpretations informed by this marker
Clinical features
● Lower GI symptoms: high stool frequency is a commonly-reported lower gastrointestinal symptom that can affect quality of life.
Interpreting the result
Patient management insights
Tips for patients discussion
"Your questionnaire responses show that you're typically passing bowel motions more often than usual. This is common and can affect how you feel day to day. There are some options we can try, such as a fibre supplement like psyllium husk, and we'll start with the one that best suits your situation."
Source references for all clinical associations, interpretation definitions, and patient management insights on this card.
1. Qvitzau, S., Matzen, P. & Madsen, P. Treatment of chronic diarrhoea: loperamide versus ispaghula husk and calcium. Scand J Gastroenterol 23, 1237–1240 (1988).
2. Cappello, G. et al. Peppermint oil (Mintoil) in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective double blind placebo-controlled randomized trial. Dig Liver Dis 39, 530–536 (2007).
3. Liu, J.-H. et al. Enteric-coated peppermint-oil capsules in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial. J Gastroenterol 32, 765–768 (1997).
4. Cash, B. D., Epstein, M. S. & Shah, S. M. A novel delivery system of peppermint oil is an effective therapy for irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. Dig Dis Sci 61, 560–571 (2016).
5. Lewandowski, K. et al. The effectiveness of microencapsulated sodium butyrate at reducing symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Prz Gastroenterol 17, 28–34 (2022).