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

Abstract

BACKGROUND: 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. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between positive results of FIT and the incidence of dementia using a nationwide database. METHODS: FIT-positive participants were collected from a database provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. RESULTS: 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). CONCLUSION: 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.