Distribution pattern of colorectal diseases based on 2300 total colonoscopies

We conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of CRD in our area in East Azerbaijan, Iran.

Colorectal diseases (CRD) include a broad spectrum that varies from benign lesions to malignant and cancerous masses. CRD can be investigated by colonoscopy. Some of these diseases are highly preventable with timely screening and appropriate planning by the healthcare system.

This is a hospital-based, cross-sectional study by the Gastroenterology Department on patients who underwent colonoscopy between June 2013 and March 2015 in outpatient clinics at private Shahriyar medical center and Imam Reza University Hospital in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. Chi-square analysis and bivariate Pearson correlation coefficient were applied in this study using SPSS 20.

During the study period, we recruited 2300 patients (1230 men, 1070 women) with the mean and median (Standard Deviation=SD) age at presentation of 47.10 (0.338) and 47 (16.195) years. The duration of patients' symptoms ranged from 1 to 480 months, with mean and median (SD) values of 26.99 (0.902) and 12 (40.76) months, respectively. Despite at least 20 types of pathologies seen on colonoscopy, normal cases constituted the majority (32.7%).The most serious diseases in the study were IBD (10.9%), polyps (14.4%) and cancers (4.9%). Colonoscopic findings had a significant correlation with patients' age and gender; also, we detected a significant correlation between patients' chief complaint and colonoscopic findings as well as colonoscopic pathology samples.

Despite the ongoing westernization of lifestyle in our country, the distribution of colorectal diseases in Iran is different from Western population. It is important to recognize the prevalence of these diseases in our area to determine exposure factors for management and planning correctly in health system policies.