Table of Contents
When is a faecal occult blood test done?
The most common indications for fecal occult blood tests are anemia, concern for gastrointestinal bleeding, and colon cancer screening. It can also be used to help discriminate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is likely to yield a positive test result.
What other conditions may cause blood in the stool and a positive result?
Other conditions that may cause blood in your stool include ulcers, hemorrhoids, polyps, and benign (not cancer) tumors. If you have blood in your stool, your provider will likely recommend more tests to figure out the exact location and cause of your bleeding. The most common follow-up test is a colonoscopy.
What is the treatment for occult blood?
The initial work-up for occult bleeding typically involves colonoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or both. In patients without symptoms indicating an upper gastrointestinal tract source or in patients older than 50 years, colonoscopy usually is performed first.
What does abnormal occult blood mean?
Occult blood means that you can’t see it with the naked eye. And fecal means that it is in your stool. Blood in your stool means there is bleeding in the digestive tract. The bleeding may be caused by a variety of conditions, including: Polyps, abnormal growths on the lining of the colon or rectum.
Can blood in stool be harmless?
Blood found in your feces (stool), on toilet paper or in the toilet after a bowel movement is often times is harmless, but can signal a serious health condition. Blood in your stool is also sometimes discovered in routine diagnostic tests.
What are the symptoms of occult blood?
Symptoms of OGIB include a change in the color of stools to black-tarry or even maroon, a drop in red blood cells (anemia) and low blood pressure, on occasion. Patients with OGIB may be admitted to the hospital several times for blood transfusions.
Can infection cause occult blood in stool?
A doctor may request a fecal occult blood test to look for blood that’s present due to causes such as: allergies or inflammation. gastrointestinal infection caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. bleeding in the GI tract from ulcers and other problems.
What is the difference between FOBT and fit blood tests?
The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is the test of choice over the fecal occult blood test. This test can be done at home. For this test, you take a sample from your stool with a brush and dab it onto a special card. This test may be easier to do at home than the FOBT.
What does a positive occult blood test mean?
Because small amounts of blood normally appear in the stool, tests for occult blood are designed to detect larger quantities of blood. A positive fecal occult blood test means that blood has been found in the stool.
What can a blood test tell you?
Examples of organs whose malfunctions can be visible in a blood test include your thyroid, liver, or kidneys. Your doctor can also use blood tests to search for markers of diseases and health conditions such as: Even if a person does not have heart disease, a blood test can show whether they may be at risk of developing the condition.
What is a blood chemistry test and how does it work?
Also known as a blood chemistry, or a chemistry panel, this test looks at the levels of essential enzymes in the blood and also checks kidney function.