Annals of clinical biochemistry
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Ann. Clin. Biochem. · Jul 2020
Measurement of faecal haemoglobin with a faecal immunochemical test can assist in defining which patients attending primary care with rectal bleeding require urgent referral.
Current guidelines document persistent rectal bleeding as an alarm symptom in patients presenting to primary care. We studied whether a faecal immunochemical test could assist in their assessment. ⋯ Patients with rectal bleeding and f-Hb <10 μg Hb/g faeces are unlikely to have SBD and could be investigated by sigmoidoscopy alone. Using the faecal immunochemical test to guide investigation of patients with rectal bleeding is a rational and practical way forward.