What is a hemoccult test?
The hemoccult test (also known as the guaiac test) can be used to detect tiny traces of blood in the stool. This even works for amounts that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is called occult blood (hidden blood).
When do you perform a hemoccult test?
How meaningful is a hemoccult test?
The hemoccult test will also give a positive result if, for example, you have eaten raw meat or certain vegetables and fruits such as beet, radishes, broccoli, bananas or cherries in the three days before the sample was taken.
Such a “false positive” result may unnecessarily alarm patients. Since the Immunological Stool Test reacts exclusively to human blood, such false alarms do not occur with immunological tests.
No clear result
However, neither method provides an unambiguous result. In both cases, the blood can also come from other sources, such as hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel diseases, harmless intestinal polyps or, in women, menstruation. Conversely, intestinal tumors do not always bleed. In this case, both tests are naturally falsely negative.
What is done in a hemoccult test?
The test is an inexpensive, simple and harmless procedure. The patient can perform it himself at home; test materials are available from the family doctor or pharmacy.
What are the risks of a hemoccult test?
The hemoccult test is a safe and simple diagnostic procedure. There are no complications or after-effects. Due to the use of the spatula when taking the sample and the sealable letter, the procedure is also not unhygienic.
If the hemoccult test does not indicate blood in the stool, no further examinations are necessary. If your test result is positive, even this is not proof of colorectal cancer, as explained above! Your doctor will recommend a colonoscopy to find out where the bleeding is coming from.
