Do You Suspect You May Have Colorectal Polyps?

Colon polyps and colorectal polyps are extra growths which stick out of the lining of the colon or rectum. They are usually harmless and do not get manifested through any symptom, except an occasional painless rectal bleeding, which cause embarrassment to the patient. This is a age-related disease and people become more vulnerable to colon polyps and colorectal polyps as they grow older. The bad news is that some types of colon polyps and colorectal polyps may develop into cancer, especially if they are adenomatous type of polyps. If however, they belong to the category of hyperplastic polyps, then they are considered harmless.

To go by size, colon polyps and colorectal polyps more than one centimeter mean a greater cancer risk than ones which are smaller in size. Age, family history and pat history of having colon polyps and colorectal polyps are risk indicators for someone to develop the disease.

Some symptoms of colon polyps and colorectal polyps are:

* Bleeding from the rectum.

* Stool smeared with blood.

* Tiredness accompanied by anemia

* Abdominal pain, though rare.

A physical rectal examination may reveal a colon polyps and colorectal polyps that can be felt by the physician. Some tests that show colon polyps and colorectal polyps are:

* Sigmoidoscopy

* Colonoscopy

* Virtual colonoscopy

* Barium enema

Unfortunately there are not very many options for treating colon polyps and colorectal polyps, except surgical removal of the polyps. When the polyps grow cancerous over time, they are removed. Mostly, a colonoscopy is done during the removal procedure. After removal of cancerous colon polyps and colorectal polyps, a follow-up colonoscopy is recommended within 3 to 5 years simply to check, whether the harmful polyps have re-appeared. Sometimes, colon polyps and colorectal polyps with a high chance of becoming cancerous may be removed through colectomy, where a part of the colon is surgically removed.

To reduce the risk of developing colon polyps and colorectal polyps, the following preventive steps can be taken:

* Eat a healthy and balanced diet that has low fat content and consists of substantial quantities of fruits, vegetables, and fiber

* Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake

* Maintain a normal body weight

* Go for a colonoscopy screening if you are over 50 and have a family history of colon polyps and colorectal polyps. Early diagnosis can make treatment simpler and easier. If you have had colon polyps and colorectal polyps earlier in life, you need to be screened at an earlier age than 50+. Colonoscopy prevents colon cancer by removing polyps before they can become cancer.