Challenge No.2: What medical indication(s) could be seen from occult blood testing in stool?

Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), as its name implies, aims to detect subtle blood loss in the gastrointestinal tract, anywhere from the mouth to the colon. Positive tests ("positive stool") may result from either upper gastrointestinal bleeding or lower gastrointestinal bleeding and warrant further investigation for peptic ulcers or a malignancy (such as colorectal cancer or gastric cancer). The test does not directly detect colon cancer but is often used in clinical screening for that disease, but it can also be used to look for active occult blood loss in anemia[2] or when there are gastrointestinal symptoms

Why the Test is Performed

This test detects blood in the digestive tract. It may be done if:

• You are being screened or tested for colon cancer
• You have abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, or weight loss
• You have anemia (low blood count)
• You say you have blood in the stool or black, tarry stools

Normal Results

A negative test result means that there is no blood in the stool.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Abnormal results may be caused by anything that causes bleeding in the stomach or intestinal tract, including:

• Colon cancer or other gastrointestinal (GI) tumors
• Colon polyps
• Esophageal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy
• Esophagitis
• Gastritis
• GI infections
• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Peptic ulcer

Other causes of  positive test may include:

• Nosebleed
• Coughing up blood and then swallowing it.