6 ms·
Timely colonoscopies save lives. However, I have a hunch that frequent colonoscopies are maybe not a good idea. Doubts: 1. We know more but we don't know all
by code51 5y ago
Timely colonoscopies save lives.
However, I have a hunch that frequent colonoscopies are maybe not a good idea.
Doubts:
1. We know more but we don't know all things creating colon cancer. Knowing the existence of cancers caused by viruses, disinfection procedures applied on the device could matter a lot.
2. Even if we disinfect properly, we know of a notorious little fellow: H.pylori, which can go down to the intestines. "Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with colon adenomatous polyps detected by high-resolution colonoscopy."
https://bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-018-0918-4 https://bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/...
3. H. pylori (which serves just as an example, there can be other bad guys) is really hard to get rid of with disinfectants. It builds up resistance over time so it's doubtful that our disinfectants currently in use will stay as effective as well.
4. Frequently putting a foreign object to different people's colons (yes, I know it's disinfected) would increase the probability of transmitting such unknown risks.
I didn't talk about perforation risk. Just the possibly transmissible cancer risk.
So I remain doubtful that it's completely harmless
It's necessary but every year? Doubtful without more data.
Finally, thanks for the people who invented and use it to save lives.
I wanted to share my doubts on frequent colonoscopies
- krisoft 5y ago> It's necessary but every year? Doubtful without more data. Did you read the part where the commenter said that they have an unusual genetical condition and that's the reason they have yearly colonoscopies?
- code51 5y agoYes, I did. I'm not denying the validity of the case here. My concern is related with the core risks of the procedure.
- maxerickson 5y agoWhy are you concerned about it? Doctors aren't going to recommend intervals shorter than 10 years for people with no risk factors and even with risk factors the cancer screenings are every 5 years. If someone is getting them more frequently than that, there are probably additional factors. In the US, insurance isn't going to pay for it unless a doctor says it is medically necessary.
- birdyrooster 5y agoThis is an incredible stretch. (your doubts based on reading the source you provided)
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]