Demographic and Medical History of Patients with Colorectal Neoplasia: A Descriptive Study based on Colonoscopy Findings

Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer in Iran. Detection and removal of polyps in colorectal cancer can significantly decrease the morbidity and mortality of the disease. The present study aimed to describe the characteristics of patients who had been detected with colorectal neoplasia.

This descriptive study was conducted on all the people who had been referred to the Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases for receiving colonoscopy services during 2017-2019. Information was collected through questionnaires designed based on four categories, namely personal information, clinical history, pharmacological history, and pathological results. We used logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between independent risk factors and colorectal neoplasia.

The total number of the patients referred to the hospital was 2826. The percentage of males was 43.06. There was a low statistically significant relationship between gender and having neoplasia (P = 0.053). We found that the history of diabetes was associated with neoplasia (P = 0.007). Watery diarrhea and abdominal pain had a relationship with colorectal neoplasia and P-values; they were both below 0.001. Moreover, weight loss and inflammatory bowel disease had a significant statistical relationship and P-values were 0.02 and <0.001, respectively.

In Iran, most colonic polyps are located in the left colon and also polyps that are situated in different locations. Our study could strongly suggest some important risk factors, such as age, smoking, and body mass index, whose impact on colorectal neoplasia has been reported by other papers.