Positive Results from the Fecal Immunochemical Test Can Be Related to Dementia: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in South Korea.

Abstract

The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is widely used in screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), but FIT results can be positive for diseases other than CRC. We investigated the association between positive results of FIT and the incidence of dementia using a nationwide database. FIT-positive participants were collected from a database provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The incidence of all kinds of dementia was higher in FIT-positive than FIT-negative subjects (p < 0.0001). FIT-positive participants had a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (p < 0.0001) and vascular dementia (p = 0.0002), compared to participants with FIT negativity. The risk of all kinds of dementia or AD in FIT-positive participants was higher in younger (age < 65 years) than older participants (p < 0.0001 for all kinds of dementia; p = 0.0002 for AD). FIT positivity was correlated with an increased risk of dementia, especially in participants under 65 years of age. The study suggests that clinicians can consider dementia when FIT-positive participants fail to show any malignancies.