Why are many people afraid of colonoscopy? Advice from academicians: a colonoscopy may keep you safe for 5 years

Mr. Liu is the middle management of the company. He is usually busy with work. Even so, he also pays great attention to his health and eats three regular meals a day. In the physical examination organized by the company half a year ago, all the indicators of Mr. Liu were normal.

At that time, the doctor advised him to undergo a colonoscopy, but he felt that all the indicators were normal, so he put the matter on hold because it was unnecessary.

Not long after the examination, Mr. Liu's body had abnormal symptoms of blood in the stool. He only thought it was hemorrhoids bleeding caused by getting angry , and he didn't take it seriously. It wasn't until recently that he experienced frequent abdominal pain, which attracted enough attention and rushed to the hospital.

After going to the hospital, the doctor suggested that he undergo a colonoscopy examination, during which it was found that there was an abnormal mass in Mr. Liu's intestine, and the pathological biopsy showed a malignant tumor .

This result made it difficult for Mr. Liu to accept. His examination results half a year ago were all normal, so why did he find him with bowel cancer? The doctor said that if Mr. Liu had undergone a colonoscopy six months ago, his condition would probably not have progressed to this point. This made Mr. Liu regret it.

1. Why are many people unwilling to do colonoscopy?

Examples like Mr. Liu are not uncommon in life. Many people have a natural resistance to colonoscopy and will not do it unless it is absolutely necessary, but this may delay the best time for treatment.

In fact, all the conditions in the intestinal tract can be seen through colonoscopy , including small changes in intestinal mucosa and small polyps, etc. , which can be clearly seen under colonoscopy. Clinically, colonoscopy is called The "gold standard" for bowel cancer.

However, most people are often unwilling to accept colonoscopy because of their lack of knowledge about colonoscopy, and the fact that the examination is too painful, too expensive, unnecessary, and cumbersome .

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared screening history over the past 20 years and found that colonoscopy was associated with a 61 percent reduction in colorectal cancer mortality — including a lower risk of right-sided colon cancer 46%, 72% reduction in left side cancer.

Li Zhaoshen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that people over 45 years old who have not had a colonoscopy must have a colonoscopy as soon as possible. A checkup can prevent colorectal cancer for 5 or 10 years .

Why must colonoscopy be done?

Because the early symptoms of colorectal cancer are not obvious and typical, misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis are easy to occur without colonoscopy. When obvious symptoms appear in the body, the disease has often developed to the middle and late stages , and it will be much more difficult to treat at this time.

2. There are 3 abnormalities in the body, I advise you to do colonoscopy as soon as possible

When colon cancer strikes, the body will have a series of abnormal manifestations, and these symptoms must arouse vigilance.

1. Blood in stool

Blood in the stool is a typical symptom of bowel cancer, but many people mistake it for hemorrhoids after having blood in the stool. The blood in the stool caused by hemorrhoids is mostly jet-shaped and drop-shaped blood; while the blood in the stool caused by intestinal cancer is mostly dark red with mucus, which exists in the stool .

2. Deformation of stool

When there is a tumor in the bowel, it can cause the stool to be squeezed and appear abnormally shaped. If some people usually defecate thickly, but the feces suddenly become thinner and smaller recently , they should be vigilant.

3. Persistent abdominal pain

Colon cancer can cause patients to experience a series of gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms such as abdominal distension and indigestion, and the pain usually occurs in the middle and lower abdomen . The pain in the early stage is generally not too strong, and the pain will become more and more intense as the disease progresses, and it will become persistent.

Three or five types of people are recommended to do colonoscopy early to effectively prevent

According to the survey data on diagnosis and treatment status of patients with advanced colorectal cancer in China, 97% of patients have not undergone colonoscopy before diagnosis, 83% of patients diagnosed for the first time are already in advanced stage , and 44% of them have already developed liver and lung metastases. Among the confirmed patients, only 6.9% were found by active physical examination.

Therefore, it is recommended that these groups of people must undergo colonoscopy screening as soon as possible:

①The immediate family members have a history of bowel cancer;

② People who have suffered from inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal adenoma and ulcerative colitis;

③ Poor long-term living habits, such as eating red meat, smoking and drinking, obesity and long-term sedentary;

④ There is a genetic history of polyps in the family;

⑤ People with long-term chronic constipation, diarrhea, blood in the stool and weight loss.

How to prepare for colonoscopy?

First of all, patients should clearly inform their doctors of their own conditions , including whether they have cardiovascular disease, whether they have a family history, whether they are taking antiplatelet/anticoagulant drugs, whether they smoke or drink alcohol, etc.

Secondly, one week before the examination, you should avoid eating foods with seeds and non-digestible foods. In the first three days, you should pay attention to abstaining from smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods; the diet should be light, easy to digest, and low-residue foods. , You can eat porridge and noodles appropriately.

Finally, before the examination, the bowel should be cleaned with drugs according to the doctor's guidance. Generally, it is necessary to take electrolyte powder the day before the examination , and the specific medication should be consulted with a professional doctor.

If the patient is worried that the process of doing ordinary colonoscopy will be painful, he can choose painless colonoscopy under the guidance of a doctor.

Colonoscopy is a very necessary examination. It is not as scary as everyone thinks, especially for some special groups, it must be checked as soon as possible.

References:

[1] "Dangerous polyps have 4 "faces", colonoscopy should be done beyond this age". Life Times. 2021-11-10

[2] "Doing a colonoscopy, how many years does it matter if you don't get cancer?" Is it 5 years or 17 years? 》. Medical Tumor Channel. 2021-06-09

[3] "Blood in the stool was a hemorrhoid for half a year, it's too wrong to find out bowel cancer - doctor reminds: These 5 symptoms are not hemorrhoids but bowel cancer!" ". Digestive Liver Disease Channel in the Medical World. 2022-06-05

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