CLINICAL PROFILE AND COLONOSCOPIC FINDINGS IN ADULT PATIENTS PRESENTED WITH CHRONIC DIARRHEA

Abstract

Background: Chronic diarrhea is a common and challenging problem in all age groups particularly in the elderly. It accounts for signicant morbidity and mortality in adults. It can be caused by a number of both neoplastic and non neoplastic lesions. For accurate diagnosis of various colorectal lesions, colonoscopy is the gold standard, simple, convenient and cost effective procedure. The present study aims to scrutinize the clinical prole and colonoscopic ndings in patients with chronic diarrhea in a tertiary care centre in South India Method: st This is a hospital based prospective observational study conducted from 1 September 2018 to 30th September 2019 at Department of Gastroenterology, Government Kilpauk Medical College Chennai ,128 patients were included in the present study. Study was cleared by institutional ethics committee of the hospital. Results: We evaluated 128 patients (mean age 47.03,),66% of the patients were males, and majority of the patients were in the age group 50-59 years. The most common clinical presentation other than diarrhea was bleeding per rectum 42% followed by mass per abdomen (23%), abdominal pain (21%) and 14% had spurious diarrhea. Colonoscopy was normal in 13%, colorectal growth accounted for 32%, Mucosal ulceration in 23%, Ileocecal lesions in 17%, polyps in 15%. The most common diagnosis was carcinoma colon (34%), followed by IBD (UC-17%, Crohns-9%) Tuberculosis in 13%, Polyposis in 8%, SIBO and Chronic Pancreatitis in 5%each, Radiation proctitis and IBS in 3% each. Conclusion:Chronic diarrhea causes signicant mortality as age advances, the leading cause for which was found to be Carcinoma colon in this study. For accurate diagnosis of various colorectal lesions, colonoscopy is the gold standard, simple, convenient and cost-effective procedure.