What Does It Mean by a Weakly Positive Fecal Occult Blood Test Result?
Fecal occult blood weakly positive mainly refers to the presence of a small amount of red blood cells in the feces, indicating that there is a small amount of bleeding in the patient's digestive tract. The weakly positive result suggests that the amount of bleeding is not significant, but it is still necessary to understand the specific cause promptly. Of course, it may also be related to diet, such as consuming excessive iron-containing foods, which can also lead to such a test result.
A weakly positive result for fecal occult blood indicates that there is a small amount of bleeding in the digestive tract, and the red blood cells are destroyed. Occult blood is also known as hidden blood. A weakly positive result for fecal occult blood does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with the gastrointestinal tract. If a person consumes a large amount of iron-containing foods before the test, it may also produce a weakly positive reaction. Therefore, to obtain accurate test results, spinach and foods with excessive iron content should be avoided for three days before the test.
1. Fecal occult blood may be caused by rectal polyps and hemorrhoids, both of which can lead to a positive reaction in the occult blood test. Further diagnosis usually requires combining with gastroscopy.
2. If hemorrhoids and rectal polyps are excluded, fecal occult blood is considered to be caused by gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers often have positive results for fecal occult blood, which may appear intermittently.
3. About 20% of patients may have a positive reaction in the occult blood test, and the probability of a positive result in late-stage patients can reach over 90%. Therefore, fecal occult blood testing can be used as the primary criterion for screening digestive tract tumors. Therefore, it is necessary to seek medical attention promptly when fecal occult blood occurs to determine the cause.
