Risk factors of asymptomatic colorectal polyps in flying personnel

Objective To screen risk factors of asymptomatic colorectal polyps in flying personnel and to provide reference for diagnosing colorectal polyps. Methods A case-control study design was applied. One hundred and forty flying personnel who were had colonoscopy examination in our center from January 2014 to October 2018 were included. Cases with polyps were assigned as polyps group while others were assigned as control group. The clinic data of all cases were collected, such as age, height, weight, history of smoking, family history of malignant tumors of digestive tract in first-degree relatives, flying hours, cholesterol level, triglyceride level, blood glucose level, and the results of abdominal ultrasonography and colonoscopy examinations. The differences on indicators were compared between two groups by univariate analysis. The binary unconditional logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of asymptomatic colorectal polyps in flying personnel. Results ①In 140 enrolled cases, 49 were assigned to polyps group and 91 to control group. The detection rate of polyps was 35.0%. ②Univariate analysis of data showed that two groups had statistical differences on age, body mass index, smoking history, family history of gastrointestinal cancer, flying hours, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, positive with fatty liver and positive with gallbladder changes (P<0.01 or 0.05). There was no significant difference in the fasting blood glucose between two groups. ③Logistic regression analysis showed that age and triglyceride level were the independent risk factors for colorectal polyps. The regression coefficient was 1.726 and 1.419, respectively. Conclusions Age and triglycerides level are independent risk factors for asymptomatic colorectal polyps in flying personnel. Increased body mass index, long-term smoking history, positive family history of gastrointestinal cancer, long flying hours, high cholesterol level, and positive with fatty liver or gallbladder disease may be the predictors of asymptomatic colorectal polyps in flying personnel. Key words: Colonic polyps; Risk factors; Hyperlipidemias; Flying personnel