LGIB & the Elderly: Perspective from the Developing World

Aim: To ascertain the common causes of LGIB in the elderly and to evaluate sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy as the initial investigation for diagnosing LGIB in the elderly in the developing world.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted over a period of two years at SMHS Hospital and Government Medical College Srinagar, a tertiary care centre, Jammu & Kashmir. All the patients above the age of 60 years, presenting with symptoms or complaints of LGIB to the OPD’s and casualty services of the said hospital were enrolled in the study. Exclusion Criteria: Cases presenting with LGIB which were proved by any diagnostic procedures or during laparotomy to originate from any source proximal to ligament of Treitz.

Results: The commonest cause of LGIB in our study was local anal disease [haemorrhoids and anal fissures] followed by carcinoma colorectum, inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], solitary rectal ulcers [SRUS] and colonic polyps, in the order of decreasing frequency. Colonoscopy was able to detect the cause of LGIB in all our study subjects.

Conclusion: Despite the small number of patients in our study group, it can be concluded that the cause of LGIB in the elderly in our part of the world differs from that of the developed world, although the reasons for this remain unexplained and require more research. As such, elderly patients with complaints of LGIB should be offered the benefits of colonoscopy unless contraindicated by their co-morbidities because of the fact that they may be harbouring a sinister cause of LGIB, i.e., colorectal malignancy.