Frequency of different Indications and findings for colonoscopy in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Colonoscopy is one of the most important diagnostic tools to assess the structural abnormalities of the large intestine and distal ileum. To date, there is a paucity of data in Pakistan on indications and findings of colonoscopy. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the indications and endoscopic findings of patients who underwent colonoscopy at a tertiary care hospital in interior Sindh, Pakistan. This prospective cross-sectional study of 125 patients who underwent lower gastrointestinal endoscopy was conducted in the Endoscopy Unit of LUMHS Civil Hospital Hyderabad / Jamshoro from April 2020 to September 2020. To be eligible participants had to be 14 years or older, of either gender and giving informed consent. Data regarding demographic characteristics, indications, and endoscopic findings were gathered on a pre-designed proforma. A total of 125 participants were recruited with a mean age of 39 ± 20, out of which 60% were males. Rectal bleeding was the most common indication (70.4%) followed by abdominal pain (9.6%), chronic diarrhea (8%), altered bowel habits (6.4%), constipation (2.4%), post-cancer surveillance (1.6%), weight loss, and anemia (0.8%) each.  The most common colonoscopy findings were hemorrhoids (29.6%),and suspected tumor/growth (14.4%), while 22.4% were normal. The most common indication in our study was per rectal bleeding with hemorrhoids as the most common endoscopic finding on colonoscopy.