When most people hear the word “colonoscopy,” their minds go to one thing: a colorectal cancer screening. While most physicians recommend preventative colonoscopies once per decade beginning at age 45 (sooner and more frequent if risk factors are elevated for a patient), some doctors recommend a diagnostic colonoscopy to patients experiencing chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Below, Dr. Lynne Ahn, a top gastroenterologist in Wellesley, discusses what a colonoscopy can tell you about your body.
What Is Diagnostic Colonoscopy?
A diagnostic colonoscopy is sometimes warranted when you have long-term gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, blood in the stool, and/or unintended weight loss.
Your doctor will provide you with a sedative to keep you comfortable and then insert a tube with a camera into your anus to get an in-depth look inside your colon (also known as the large intestine). She can view the live video feed on a nearby monitor to look for any irregularities that can help to diagnose a condition.
Conditions That Can Be Found with a Colonoscopy
Some of the conditions that Dr. Ahn can find during a colonoscopy include:
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects around 100 to 300 people per 100,000 American adults. People with Crohn’s disease often grapple with symptoms like fatigue, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Dr. Ahn can look for signs of this condition by looking for swelling of tissue in the large intestine. While Crohn’s cannot be cured, it can be managed to minimize the symptoms.
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is another type of IBD that causes ulcers in the central most lining of the large intestine and rectum. Symptoms include bloody stool, perpetual diarrhea, and abdominal pain. By examining the colon for sores, Dr. Ahn can help to diagnose this condition, or take some tissue to conduct a biopsy.
Bowel Obstruction
A blockage in the large intestine can either slow or completely obstruct your body from releasing stool waste. This is often caused by hernia, scar tissue, or a tumor. Most bowel obstructions are found in the small intestine, which may mean an endoscopy is the more appropriate approach.
Microscopic Colitis
This condition involves inflammation of the colon that is only visible under a microscope. Microscopic colitis is characterized by chronic watery diarrhea and abdominal pain but may not show any visible signs during a standard colonoscopy. Biopsies are essential for diagnosing this condition, allowing Dr. Ahn to detect changes in tissue cells.
Infectious Colitis
Infectious colitis is caused by infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It results in inflammation of the large intestine. Symptoms often include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and sometimes fever. Dr. Ahn can identify infectious agents through colonoscopy examination and targeted biopsies.
Diverticulosis
This condition, which is most common in people after middle age, is characterized by the development of small pouches within the colon’s walls, which weakens the large intestine and can lead to some bleeding in the stool.
Colorectal Cancer
Although Dr. Ahn is typically looking for signs of a gastrointestinal problem when she performs colonoscopy, she will of course examine for potential signs of cancer while conducting this test. The most common abnormality in the colon is a polyp, which is a growth of cells on the lining of the large intestine. Although most polyps are not cancerous, some may be deemed “pre-cancerous” and removed as a precaution.
Schedule a Consultation
To get to the bottom of your digestive issues, choose a trusted gastroenterologist like Dr. Ahn. For a consultation at Ahn Point Wellness, please call (781) 237-1600.
