What does colonoscopy find

Health care providers can spot and remove polyps during a colonoscopy, which uses a flexible, lighted tube to examine the colon and rectum. So most people need the exam just once a decade, and only a few with larger, more serious polyps may need it more often than every five years. Colonoscopy is a safe procedure. But occasionally it can cause heavy bleeding, tears in the colon, inflammation or infection of pouches in the colon known as diverticulitis, severe abdominal pain, and problems in people with heart or blood- vessel disease.

Some complications can lead to blood transfusions, surgery, hospitalization, or rarely, death. The test also has inconveniences. You have to restrict your diet and take laxatives beforehand. And because the exam requires sedation, someone has to drive you home and you may miss a day of work.

If left unaddressed, the pockets can become inflamed and infected, leading to painful complications. The procedure is typically done at an endoscopy center, and all the patients are there for gastrointestinal care. In other words, everyone is in the same boat. Yes, everyone is there to have something done that may feel embarrassing.

But you can relax—this is regular, everyday work for the clinical staff that will be taking care of you. Also, the anesthesia will help you relax, it will be over before you know it, and did we mention it is a virtually painless procedure? A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the removal of cancer-causing polyps during a colonoscopy reduces the chance of death from colorectal cancer by 53 percent.

Colon cancer is more serious and more common than you might think. A colonoscopy is painless. Yes, the tube goes exactly where you think it does.

A colonoscopy is quick. Colonoscopy prep is NOT. There are alternatives, but colonoscopies remain the most effective, long-term option for colon cancer screening. Colonoscopies can find more conditions than just cancer, and you might feel better as a result. Having a colonoscopy is not as embarrassing as you think. A colonoscopy could save your life. Last but not least, right?

Colonoscopies save lives. It should be repeated every 10 years thereafter until age It is often recommended for younger people or more frequently for those who notice blood in their stool, have unexplained anemia or a change in bowel habits, have a strong family history of colon cancer or other risk factors for the disease. While the test does come with some risks such as pain, bleeding or even perforation , serious complications are quite rare.

Much is written about "the prep" for colonoscopy to clean out the colon so that its interior can be clearly viewed and the procedure itself , but less is written about what the results may mean.

As a screening test, it's usually done to find colon cancer or precancerous polyps. But, often neither is found; instead, other, potentially confusing or surprising findings may be discovered. While small polyps can often be removed during colonoscopy, larger ones may require surgery. Risk factors for colon polyps are similar to those for colon cancer, including advanced age, family history of polyps or cancer, a diet high in red meat, or a history of inflammatory bowel disease.