Steatorrhea

The pathological excretion of excessive fat in the stool due to intestinal fat malabsorption, typically producing pale, bulky, malodorous, oily stools that may float and are difficult to flush. It is a key sign of disorders causing impaired digestion or absorption of dietary lipids. Possible causes are pancreatic issues (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, pancreatic cancer), GI disorders (celiac disease, Crohn's disease, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, short bowel syndrome), liver failure (cirrhosis, hepatitis), gallstones, choledochulithiasis, giardiasis, and medications (Orlistat, long-term antibiotic use).