What does a positive occult blood test indicate?
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 foods can cause a positive occult blood test?
Two days before and the day of the fecal occult blood test, cut out all red meat, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, grapefruit, horseradish, mushrooms, radishes, and turnips, which can all trigger false alarms.
What can cause false positive FOBT?
Medications such as antiplatelet agents (eg, low-dose aspirin), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and oral anticoagulants can result in a false-positive FOBT owing to insignificant gastrointestinal losses.
What causes occult bleeding?
Causes of occult bleeding in the upper GI tract include esophagitis, Cameron ulcers (a linear erosion in a hiatal hernia), gastric and duodenal ulcers, vascular ectasias, gastric cancer, and gastric antral vascular ectasia (Tables 14 and 25).
What does it mean if they find occult blood in my stool?
Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum – though not all cancers or polyps bleed. Typically, occult blood is passed in such small amounts that it can be detected only through the chemicals used in a fecal occult blood test.
What does occult blood negative means?
A negative fecal occult blood test means no blood was detected in the stool at the time of the test. For the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), a positive result indicates abnormal bleeding in the lower digestive tract.
What does abnormal occult blood mean?
Occult blood and protein in the urine test may signify underlying kidney damage. The nitrite, leukocyte esterase and WBC levels is suggesting of a urinary tract infection. An abnormal specific gravity, pH, or ketones is suggestive of dehydration.
What is a positive stool exam for occult blood significant?
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.