Due to the snowstorm impacting our area, some health care operations have changed for the safety of our patients, their loved ones and our team members. View the latest updates here.
A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) may be issued in order to check for any conditions that could cause blood in your stool, such as anemia, a bleeding ulcer, polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis or cancer. A fecal occult blood test is conducted in three ways: the guaiac smear method, the over-the-counter flushable tissue method and the immunochemical method. Most blood in the bowel is intermittent, and not evenly distributed. In order to get a thorough sample, three different samples on three different days will usually be required to increase the chances of getting a stool with blood. A positive result for any condition will require follow-up testing, usually in the form of a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, to check for any internal abnormalities.
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