The incidence of guiac positive stools in newborns and infants.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the frequency of occult blood in the stool of newborns and infants who were hospitalized for a medical problem other than a gastrointestinal disorder.


METHODS
One hundred and eighty patients, ages 2 days to 1 year of age, participated in the study. Stool was collected and assayed for fecal occult blood using the Propper Seracult test for invitro diagnostic evaluation.


RESULTS
The majority of infants, 77.2%, had guiac negative stools for the entire hospitalization, while 22.8% had guiac positive stools during part or all of the hospitalization.


CONCLUSIONS
Since most of the infants who tested guiac positive were not receiving a milk-based formula or breastmilk, it would suggest a cause other than allergic sensitivity or milk-induced enterocolitis.
Gralton
K S
KS
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, WI, USA.
D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006138:Guaiac; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D009780:Occult Blood; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D006138:Guaiac