What is the Bowel/Colon test?

Many diseases may result in hidden blood in the faeces. This is known as faecal occult blood (FOB), human occult blood, or human haemoglobin. In the early stages, gastrointestinal (GI) problems such as colon cancer, ulcers, polyps, colitis, diverticulitis, and fissures may not show any visible symptoms, only occult blood. Traditional guaiac based methods of occult blood testing lack sensitivity and specificity, and also require diet restrictions prior to testing. Faecal occult blood tests are used as a screening tool for detecting lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding that may be related to iron deficiency anaemia, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, polyps, and colorectal cancer. The FOB Test Device is recommended for use by health professionals in routine physical examinations and in monitoring for GI bleeding in patients in hospitals or in GPs’ surgeries. The Faecal Occult Blood Test is a simple, visual qualitative test that detects human haemoglobin from blood in faeces. The test is based on immunochromatography and can give a result within 5 minutes.

For full instructions on how to use these tests click here