Prediction of flare-ups of ulcerative colitis using quantitative immunochemical fecal occult blood test

AIM:To examine the feasibility of predicting the flareup of ulcerative colitis (UC) before symptoms emerge using the immunochemical fecal occult blood test (IFOBT).METHODS:We prospectively measured fecal hemoglobin concentrations in 78 UC patients using the I-FOBT every 1 or 2 mo.RESULTS:During a 20 mo-period,823 fecal samples from 78 patients were submitted.The median concentration of fecal hemoglobin was 41 ng/mL (range:0-392 500 ng/mL).There were three types of patients with regard to the correlation between I-FOBT and patient symptoms;the synchronous transition type with symptoms (44 patients),the unrelated type withsymptoms (19 patients),and the flare-up predictive type (15 patients).In patients with the flare-up predictive type,the values of I-FOBT were generally low during the study period with stable symptoms.Two to four weeks before the flare-up of symptoms,the I-FOBT values were high.Thus,in these patients,I-FOBT could predict the flare-up before symptoms emerged.CONCLUSION:Flare-up could be predicted by I-FOBT in approximately 20% of UC patients.These results warrant periodical I-FOBT in UC patients.