What is the HemocCult® test?

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HemocCult® test is a medical test used to check hidden blood in the stool. Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract can sometimes occur at a very low level, without any visible blood in the stool. Catching bleeding, when they are relatively small, can be important for providing fast and appropriate medical treatment to patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients can collect samples at home or have samples taken at a clinic or hospital. The "occult" name does not apply to esoteric religious practices, but rather for the hidden nature of blood associated with small bleeding. These tests can be designed in a number of different ways and HemocCult® tests rely on a substance called Guaiac, which responds to heme in the blood. These tests are not as sensitive as newer tests looking for globin in the stool.

For the use of the Hemocult® test, patients or clinic doctors are blurring a small stool sample on a paper card and dripping hydrogen peroxide on the sample. If heme is present, he will respond to the quickGuaiac oxidation and cause a rapid color change. If this is not the case, color changes, but much slower. This test allows doctors to identify blood loss levels as low as several teaspoons a day. It is possible to have false negative if patients lose less blood than this one or if the sample is taken from a relatively clean stool.

This test can also respond to certain diet factors, especially red meat. Patients may be directed to follow the instructions on an on -board before performing the sample, depending on the version of the HemocCult® test used. It is important to follow these instructions to prevent the test from prevent false positive.

The use of HemocCult® tests is a quick and cheap way to test patients for gastrointestinal bleeding associated with conditions such as polyps, cancer and other bowel diseases. This allows the doctor to determine whether further testing is needed, such as endoscopy to find bleeding. The test is not recommended in the patientThe obviously bloody faeces, because the presence of blood confirms the presence of bleeding and suggests that it is appropriate to directly move to diagnostic tools to find and treat bleeding. If people find blood in their stools, they should contact a doctor immediately.