FIT Information for Patients

Why has my Doctor Requested a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)?

You may be referred for a FIT if you go to your doctor because you:

• Have unexplained stomach pains or symptoms
• Experience a change in bowel habit lasting longer than 3 weeks
• Have unexplained weight loss
• Have pain or lump in the stomach area or back passage

Digestive system symptoms are very common and can often overlap. So, it is important for your doctor to correctly identify patients who may have a serious bowel disease from those who may be experiencing diet-related conditions or non-threatening conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or haemorrhoids.

Doctors may therefore request the simple non-invasive FIT as a first step for patients presenting in with lower abdominal symptoms.

You may also receive a FIT if you are enrolled in a national screening programme within the UK.

What is the FIT Test Looking for?

In a healthy bowel, there should be no reason for blood to appear in your poo. With some bowel conditions however, lesions can appear in the lining of the bowel, and these lesions can allow the passage of blood into the bowel. As digested matter is passed through the bowel, it may come in contact with the lesion(s), and this can result in blood being transferred to the poo.

FIT looks for invisible traces of blood in the poo, which may indicate if there is damage to the lining of the bowel. The FIT will not specify where in the bowel the bleeding has come from, or the nature of the affected area, but it will indicate to your doctor if you need further investigation.

Previously, most people with one or more of the above conditions would be referred for an endoscopy. These procedures are unpleasant and can be risky, they are also costly for the NHS and patients may be subject to long waiting lists. FIT is a fast, non-invasive and cost-effective method to help triage patients and determine the appropriate patient pathway for further investigation to diagnose the problem.

Faecal Haemoglobin Levels

The presence of haemoglobin (blood) in the poo could be indicative of a number of conditions, ranging from non-threatening conditions (such as haemorrhoids) to functional disorders and genetic conditions, to significant colorectal disease (including cancer). The purpose of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is to identify how much blood is present in the poo sample, allowing the clinician to investigate and treat patients according to their symptoms.

After your test, your doctor will contact you to discuss your results and advise on the next steps. Your FIT result depends on lots of factors, including:

• Age
• Sex
• Lifestyle risk factors
• Genetic risk factors
• Other gastrointestinal conditions
• Iron deficiency anaemia