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Table 1 Symptoms and findings reported by patients and doctors respectively, when a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) was requested in primary care

From: Patient-reported and doctor-reported symptoms when faecal immunochemical tests are requested in primary care in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective study

 

Patients

Doctors N = 356

Symptoms

N

Mild discomfort or more (%)

Yes (%)

No (%)

Unknown (%)

Abdominal paina

364

266 (73.1)

201 (56.5)

149 (41.9)

6 (1.7)

Diarrhoeaa

361

212 (58.7)

151 (42.4)

191 (53.7)

14 (3.9)

Urgencya

360

186 (51.7)

72 (20.2)

249 (69.9)

35 (9.8)

Constipationa

359

189 (52.6)

94 (26.4)

246 (69.1)

16 (4.5)

Incomplete evacuationa

361

198 (54.8)

55 (15.4)

253 (71.1)

48 (13.5)

Reflux symptomsa

362

122 (33.7)

44 (12.4)

262 (73.6)

50 (14.0)

Bloatinga

362

303 (83.7)

   

Dyspepsiaa

363

202 (55.6)

   

Satietya

361

168 (46.5)

   

Change in bowel habitsb

342

164 (48.0)

158 (44.4)

188 (52.8)

10 (2.8)

Rectal bleedingb

347

151 (43.5)

91 (25.6)

245 (68.8)

20 (5.6)

Black faecesb

338

72 (21.3)

20 (5.6)

317 (89.0)

19 (5.3)

Weight lossb

343

65 (19.0)

45 (12.6)

288 (80.9)

23 (6.5)

Anaemiaad

  

62 (17.4)

227 (63.8)

67 (18.8)

Abdominal massa

  

4 (1.1)

320 (89.9)

32 (9.0)

One or more alarm symptomc

352

260 (73.9)

229 (64.3)

  

Two or more alarm symptomsc

345

100 (29.0)

58 (16.3)

  

Three alarm symptomsc

340

15 (4.4)

2 (0.6)

  
  1. aQuestions answered on a scale from “no discomfort” to “very severe discomfort” by patients, and with “yes”, “no” or “unknown” by doctors
  2. bQuestion answered with “yes” or “no” by patients and with “yes”, “no” or “unknown” by doctors
  3. cAlarm symptoms: Rectal bleeding, change in bowel habits, weight loss
  4. dAs known when the FITs were requested