Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
This research shows that it is unnecessary to order colonoscopies for IBS patients, unless they show other symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss or anaemia, bleeding from the GI tract, or have a family history of colon cancer. Lead author, Professor William Chey, University of Michigan Medical School, commented: “Lay people and doctors overuse colonoscopies, which are very expensive procedures, in patients with typical IBS symptoms and no alarm features. Of course, patients over the age of 50 years or who have alarm features should undergo colonoscopy to screen for polyps and colon cancer.”
