Stories

What is occult blood positive?

What is occult blood positive?

A positive fecal occult blood test means that blood has been found in the stool. Your doctor will have to determine the source of the bleeding, either by doing a colonoscopy or by doing an examination to determine if the bleeding is coming from the stomach or small intestine.

What does an occult blood test detect?

The fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is a lab test used to check stool samples for hidden (occult) blood. Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum — though not all cancers or polyps bleed.

How do you treat occult blood?

Treatment of bleeding most often involves endoscopic ablation of the bleeding site with thermal energy, if the site is accessible. Angiographic embolization may be used to treat lesions that cannot be reached endoscopically. Diffuse vascular lesions, which are not uncommon, are difficult to treat.

Is occult blood curable?

By finding the cancers early through fecal occult blood testing when the cancers are small and before they metastasize (spread to distant organs), patients may be cured of their cancers by removing them surgically.

Can blood in stool cause death?

People with blood in their stool were nearly eight times as likely to die of colon cancer as those without it. But fecal blood was also linked with a 58 percent higher risk of dying from any cause other than colon cancer, the researchers said.

Can stress cause occult blood in stool?

While stress can contribute in a variety of stomach symptoms e.g. indigestion, a variable bowel habit and abdominal bloating and cramping, it does not typically cause rectal bleeding. Even in patients known to have IBS, an alternative cause needs to be ruled out before rectal bleeding can be attributed to stress.

How do you know if blood in stool is serious?

Some symptoms you might have with rectal bleeding can include:

  1. Feeling rectal pain and/or pressure.
  2. Seeing bright red blood in or on your stool, underwear, toilet paper or in the toilet bowl.
  3. Having stool that’s red, maroon or black in color.
  4. Having stool that has a tar-like appearance.
  5. Experiencing mental confusion.

What does a negative occult blood test indicate?

A negative fecal occult blood test means no blood was detected in the stool at the time of the test. For the FIT, a positive result indicates abnormal bleeding in the lower digestive tract. While this bleeding could be caused by colon cancer, other possible causes include ulcers, polyps or hemorrhoids.

What does blood in stool indicate?

Bright red blood in the stool typically indicates that there is bleeding in the rectum or colon, which may be a sign of colon or rectal cancer. Rectal bleeding can also be caused by hemorrhoids.

Share via: