Fecal Occult Blood Test

Fecal or Faecal occult blood is a term for blood present in the faeces that is not visibly apparent. In medicine, a faecal occult blood test is a check for hidden (occult) blood in the stool (feces). Conventional faecal occult blood tests look for heme. Newer, modern tests look for globin.

Faecal occult blood testing – as its name implies – can provide clues as to subtle blood loss in the gastrointestinal tract, anywhere from the mouth to the colon. Positive tests (“positive stool”) warrant further investigation for peptic ulcers or a malignancy (such as colorectal cancer or gastric cancer).

In the event of a positive faecal occult blood test, the next step in the workup is a form of visualization of the gastrointestinal tract tadalafil overnight delivery canada by one of several means:

1. Sigmoidoscopy, an examination of the rectum and lower colon with a lighted instrument to look for abnormalities, such as polyps.
2. Colonoscopy, a more thorough examination of the rectum and entire colon.
3. Virtual colonoscopy
4. Endoscopy
5. Double contrast barium enema: a series of x-rays of the colon and rectum.

Annual testing of a population may reduce the mortality associated with colon cancer by a third, depending on the incidence of prednisone gastrointestinal cancer in that population. It is not always cost effective to screen a large population.

If colon cancer is suspected in an individual (such as in someone with an unexplained anaemia) faecal occult blood tests best generic levitra overnight are typically not warranted. If a doctor suspects colon cancer, more rigorous investigation is necessary, whether or not the test is positive.