Definition

This test will detect blood in your stool (feces). Occult blood means that you can’t see it with your naked eye, you can only detect the blood through this test. 

When there is blood in the stool, it may be caused by various conditions. For example, polyps, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer and so on. Among these diseases, it is important that colon cancer is screened early so that prompt treatment can be initiated. 

Preparations

Certain food or medications can affect the test. Please inform our Healthcare Executive.

Procedure

The fecal occult blood test requires 3 small stool samples in total. The stool samples will be taken one day apart, because colon cancers tends to bleed from time to time instead of bleeding.

Definition

This test will detect the presence of parasites, ova or cyst in your stool. It can be used to determine whether you have a parasite infecting your digestive tract.

A variety of parasites can cause infections of the digestive system which includes Giardia species, Entamoeba histolytica and Crptosporidium When you have a parasite infecting your lower digestive tract, causing symptoms such as diarrhoea, the parasites and their eggs (ova) are shed from your lower digestive tract into your stool.

The most common symptoms of a parasitic infection are prolonged diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea, mucus in your stool, abdominal pain, and nausea. These symptoms typically arise days to weeks after infection and can continue for some time. You may also have headaches and fever, or few or no noticeable symptoms. If your diarrhoea lasts more than a few days, it may lead to weight loss, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. 

Preparations

Avoid taking certain products such as laxatives, antidiarrheal medications, antibiotics, contracts dyes, etc. Please inform your healthcare provider.

Procedure

A fresh stool sample transported to the lab within 2 hours or a preserved stool sample; usually multiple samples are collected on different days. These should be collected at different times on different days because parasites are shed periodically and may not be in your stool at all times. Multiple samples can increase the likelihood that parasites will be detected.