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 is normal occult blood?
Tests for fecal occult blood detect blood in the stool that is not visible on gross inspection, usually less than 50 mg of hemoglobin per gram of stool. Normal adults usually show less than 2 to 3 mg/gm.
What does occult blood in stool look like?
You may have bright red streaks of blood on your poop or you could see blood mixed in with it. Stool could also look very dark, almost black, and tarry. Sometimes, you can have blood in your stool that’s not visible. This is called occult bleeding.
Is occult bleeding serious?
Today, the physicians at Gastro Health have advanced tools and techniques to identify the site of a lesion and treat this potentially dangerous condition. The typical signs of a bleeding problem include anemia, iron deficiency and blood in the stool, which is called occult blood.
What are the symptoms of occult bleeding?
With occult bleeding, you might have:
- Lightheadedness.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Fainting.
- Chest pain.
- Abdominal pain.
What do I do if my occult blood test is positive?
If your test results are positive for blood, your health care provider will likely recommend additional testing, such as a colonoscopy, to figure out the exact location and cause of your bleeding. If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.
Can spicy food cause bloody stool?
There are many foods that can cause blood in stool. Some of the most common include red meat, hot sauce, and spicy food. Gastritis is a condition in which the stomach lining becomes red and swollen (inflammation). It may be brought on by excessive alcohol consumption, spicy meals, or smoking.
What are the symptoms of occult?
The typical signs of a bleeding problem include anemia, iron deficiency and blood in the stool, which is called occult blood. When the patient’s bleeding site cannot be found by upper endoscopy or colonoscopy, the condition is called occult gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB).
How is occult blood treated?
The initial work-up for occult bleeding typically involves colonoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or both. In patients without symptoms indicating an upper gastrointestinal tract source or in patients older than 50 years, colonoscopy usually is performed first.
Is occult blood serious?
A fecal occult blood test is considered negative if no blood is detected in your stool samples. If you have an average risk of colon cancer, your doctor may recommend repeating the test yearly. Positive result. A fecal occult blood test is considered positive if blood is detected in your stool samples.
How do you treat occult blood in stool?
Treatment of bleeding most often involves endoscopic ablation of the bleeding site with thermal energy, if the site is accessible. Angiographic embolization may be used to treat lesions that cannot be reached endoscopically. Diffuse vascular lesions, which are not uncommon, are difficult to treat.
What could be causing occult blood?
Cancers of the colon are common and frequently produce fecal occult blood long before they cause other symptoms such as abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, or changes in bowel habits. In addition, some precursors of colon cancer, specifically, some types of colon polyps, also may bleed slowly and cause fecal occult blood.
What do you mean by occult blood?
Occult blood means that you can’t see it with the naked eye. Blood in the stool means there is likely some kind of bleeding in the digestive tract. It may be caused by a variety of conditions, including: Blood in the stool may also be a sign of colorectal cancer, a type of cancer that starts in the colon or rectum.
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 causes occult blood in stool?
Fecal occult blood usually is a result of slow (often intermittent) bleeding from inside the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract. The slow bleed does not change the color of the stool or result in visible bright red blood. Therefore, the blood is found only by testing the stool for blood in the laboratory.