INTEREST OF COLONOSCOPY IN PATIENTS WITH CONSTIPATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY ACCORDING TO AGE

Aims Constipation is probably the most common digestive symptom. It may be the expression of an organic or functional pathology. The etiologies are multiple and must be eliminated.The aim of our study is to evaluate the interest of colonoscopy in the exploration of constipation according to the age of the patient.

Methods This is a retrospective descriptive study, including 387 patients who underwent colonoscopy for constipation between January 2018 and August 2021.

Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1: age<50 years and Group 2: age>50 years

The epidemiological, clinical and endoscopic data of the patients were evaluated.

Patients with known IBD were excluded from our study. Data collection and statistical analysis were performed using SPSS 21.0 software.

Results A total of 1518 patients underwent colonoscopy, of whom 387 had constipation(25.5%).

The mean age of our patients was 57.18+/-14.79, with a sex ratio (M/F)=1.02. Colonoscopy was normal in 62.8%and pathological in 37.2% (G1:18.6%;G2:41.5%; p<0.001). The main pathologies found were: rectal polyps in 61%(G1:46.7%;G2:69.1%p=0.092), colorectal neoplastic lesions in 21.3%(G1:20%;G2:22.2% p=0.670), colonic diverticulosis in 17.7%(G1: 0%,G2:17.3%p=0.117), appearance of colitis in 7.8%(G1: 33.3%; G2:4.9% p=0.004).In multivariate analysis, the factors associated with pathological colonoscopy for constipation were:age over50 years(p<0.001);male gender(p=0.002);history of colorectal cancer(p=0.05);and presence of associated anemia(p=0.01).

Conclusions Constipation represents 25.5% of the indications for colonoscopy in our practice. Our study showed that constipation in the over 50s is an independent risk factor for pathological colonoscopy in cases of constipation.Male gender, history of CRC and anemia were also predictive factors for pathological colonoscopy in this context.

Publication History

Article published online:
14 April 2022