Stool Occult Blood Test Price in Pakistan: Rs 350 at Marham Lab

A stool occult blood test checks for blood in a sample of your stool. MedlinePlus explains that it is called occult, meaning hidden, blood because you cannot see it just by looking, and faecal means it is in your stool. At Marham Lab the test costs Rs 350, reduced from Rs 500.

Starting here, because this is the test people panic about.

MedlinePlus states that if your results show you have blood in your stool, it means you likely have bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract, and that this does not always mean you have cancer. It names other conditions that may cause blood in your stool: ulcers, haemorrhoids, polyps and benign tumours.

Haemorrhoids alone account for an enormous share of positive results. MedlinePlus describes them as swollen veins in your anus or rectum.

It also states the limit of the test plainly: a faecal occult blood test alone cannot diagnose any condition. If blood is found, you will likely need other tests to find the exact cause, and MedlinePlus notes the most common follow-up test is a colonoscopy.

So treat a positive as a reason to see a doctor, not a verdict.

MedlinePlus lists these.

• Polyps, abnormal growths on the lining of your colon or rectum
• Haemorrhoids, swollen veins in your anus or rectum
• Diverticulosis, where you have small pouches in the inside wall of your colon
• Ulcers, sores in the lining of your digestive tract
• Ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease
• Colorectal cancer, which starts in your colon or rectum

MedlinePlus states it is commonly used as a screening test to help find colorectal cancer before you have symptoms, and may also be used to check for other conditions causing gastrointestinal bleeding.

It gives two more uses that matter in everyday practice. The test is sometimes used to help find the cause of anaemia, since slow bleeding in the gut drains iron over months. And it can help tell the difference between irritable bowel syndrome, which usually does not cause bleeding, and inflammatory bowel disease, which is likely to cause bleeding.

That second one is useful. If someone has had loose stools and cramping for a year, a stool occult blood test and a [calprotectin test](/labs/tests/calprotectin-test-price) help separate an irritable bowel from an inflamed one.

MedlinePlus states that if you are not at higher risk, your provider will likely recommend starting colorectal cancer screening at age 45, and that if you are at higher risk you may need to start earlier. It says to talk with your provider about when to start, how often, and which type of test.

Then the condition most people miss: if you decide to use faecal occult blood testing for your colorectal cancer screening, you will need to do the test every year.

One stool test done once is not screening. A colonoscopy is a different kind of commitment with a much longer interval. MedlinePlus lists the alternatives, each with pros and cons: a stool DNA test, colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, and CT colonography, also called virtual colonoscopy.

MedlinePlus describes both, and the difference affects your preparation.

The guaiac test (gFOBT) uses a chemical called guaiac to find blood, and usually requires samples from two or three separate bowel movements.

The faecal immunochemical test (iFOBT or FIT) uses an antibody that attaches to haemoglobin in stool. MedlinePlus states FIT is considered better at finding blood in your stool than gFOBT testing, and needs samples from one to three bowel movements depending on the brand.

Ask your lab which one you are getting, because only the guaiac type has food and medicine restrictions.

MedlinePlus states you do not need any special preparation for many faecal occult blood tests, though for some guaiac tests certain foods, supplements and medicines may affect the results. If you are having one of those, your provider will tell you what to avoid and for how long. MedlinePlus gives these examples.

• NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin. It adds that if you take aspirin for heart problems you should talk with your provider before stopping, and that you may be able to take paracetamol during this time after checking with your provider
• Vitamin C in amounts over 250 mg a day, including from supplements, fruit juices or fruit
• Red meat such as beef, lamb and liver, since traces of blood from these meats may show up in your stool
• Certain raw fruits and vegetables

MedlinePlus also notes that for a guaiac test you should be careful not to let any urine mix in with your stool.

MedlinePlus states your provider will usually give you a kit to collect samples at home with instructions, and stresses that different test kits have different instructions, so it is very important to follow the specific instructions that come with your kit. The general steps are catching the bowel movement on special paper or in a clean dry container, scraping a sample with the stick or brush provided, smearing it on the test card or inserting it into the tube, labelling and sealing it, repeating on the next bowel movement if more than one sample is needed, and returning the samples as directed.

There is no known risk to having the test.