Narrow or Thinning Stool
Free Symptom Checker
with Physician-supervised AI
Reviewed By:
Samantha Nazareth, MD (Gastroenterology)
Board-certified gastroenterologist. Experience managing gastrointestinal conditions (GERD, IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, celiac disease, NASH) within healthcare organizations (three ambulatory surgical centers, single-specialty practice, multi-specialty practice and solo practice).
Aiko Yoshioka, MD (Gastroenterology)
Dr. Yoshioka graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine. He worked as a gastroenterologist at Saiseikai Niigata Hospital and Niigata University Medical & Dental Hospital before serving as the Deputy Chief of Gastroenterology at Tsubame Rosai Hospital and Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital. Dr. Yoshioka joined Saitama Saiseikai Kawaguchi General Hospital as Chief of Gastroenterology in April 2018.
Content updated on Nov 29, 2024
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Thin stools
Long and thin poop
Stringy poop
Pencil thin stools
Poo became thin
Narrow stools
How Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Smaller caliber stool
- Narrow (thin) stools
- Narrowing of stool
- Long and thin stool
- Smaller caliber poo
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout the Symptom
Decrease in poop size or shape causing your poop to look narrow or pencil-like.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Thin narrow stool
Possible Causes
Generally, Narrow or thinning stool can be related to:
- Colon Cancer
Cancer of the large intestine which is the final part of the digestive tumors. It often grows from non-cancerous polyps in the intestine. Both polyps and colon cancers can be found during colonoscopy (camera test of colon). Symptoms can include blood in stool, diarrhea or constipation or both, or abdominal pain but many times there are no symptoms and the cancer is found on colonoscopy. It can be easily treated in early stages, so the general population is encouraged to get screened with colonoscopy and sometimes stool tests. Risk factors include a family history of colon cancer or polyps, or a personal history of abnormal polyps, low-fiber high-fat diets, some inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, obesity, and lack of exercise.
- GIST
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a type of tumor that begins in the digestive tract, most commonly in the stomach or small intestine. The exact cause is unknown but could be due to gene mutations that cause the normal cells to turn into cancer cells and grow. Risk factors include age over certain inherited genetic syndromes such as neurofibromatosis and hereditary retinoblastoma.
- Colonic Polyp
Colonic polyps are benign growths that appear on the inner lining of your large intestine. Some have a chance of becoming malignant or cancerous over time.
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Is your stool thin and narrow like a pencil?
- Are your stools greasy and smelly?
- Is there mucus in your stools?
- Is your stool shape or consistency abnormal?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizFind Similar Symptoms
Symptoms from similar body parts
Symptoms treated by the same specialty
References
Reviewed By:
Samantha Nazareth, MD (Gastroenterology)
Board-certified gastroenterologist. Experience managing gastrointestinal conditions (GERD, IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, celiac disease, NASH) within healthcare organizations (three ambulatory surgical centers, single-specialty practice, multi-specialty practice and solo practice).
Aiko Yoshioka, MD (Gastroenterology)
Dr. Yoshioka graduated from the Niigata University School of Medicine. He worked as a gastroenterologist at Saiseikai Niigata Hospital and Niigata University Medical & Dental Hospital before serving as the Deputy Chief of Gastroenterology at Tsubame Rosai Hospital and Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital. Dr. Yoshioka joined Saitama Saiseikai Kawaguchi General Hospital as Chief of Gastroenterology in April 2018.
What People Say about Ubie?
Male, 30s
I got more answers in one minute through your site than I did in three hours with Google.
(Sep 29, 2024)
Male, 20s
My experience was great. I was worried, but the symptom checker helped me narrow down what it might be. I feel a little relieved compared to when I first started, and it gives me a starting point for what my symptoms could mean.
(Sep 27, 2024)
Male, 50s
The questions asked and possible causes seemed spot on, putting me at ease for a next-step solution.
(Sep 26, 2024)
Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizUbie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
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Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1