Surgeons should note that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is frequently diagnosed following a positive faecal immunochemical test (FIT), particularly in patients under 50.
- 2.3% of patients with FIT ≥10 µg Hb/g were diagnosed with IBD; this drops to 0.1% with lower levels.
- Among patients under 50 with elevated FIT and faecal calprotectin (FCP), the IBD risk skyrockets to 21%.
Considering these findings, incorporating routine FCP testing could refine diagnosis and management strategies for young patients presenting with bowel symptoms.
- The combined risk for either condition in those with FIT ≥10 µg Hb/g is 7.1%, but drops to 3.3% with normal FCP.
Journal Article by Ng JCK, Morton AJ (…) Humes DJ et 4 al. in Br J Surg
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.