Use

The Electrolyte and Osmolality Panel for feces is useful in the workup for chronic diarrhea and the diagnosis of factitious diarrhea where water is deliberately added to stool. The test measures levels of electrolytes and osmolality to identify osmotic and non-osmotic causes of diarrhea. Osmotic diarrhea can result from the ingestion of poorly absorbed ions or sugars, while non-osmotic diarrhea, including secretory diarrhea, results from disruptions in epithelial electrolyte transport. This panel is critical for differentiating between these causes through measurements of sodium, chloride, and calculated osmotic gap among other parameters.