What Are the Indications for Colonoscopy?
Indications for colonoscopy include gastrointestinal hemorrhage, unexplained changes in bowel habits or suspicion of malignancy. Colonoscopies are often used to diagnose or rule out colon cancer, but are also frequently used to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease. In older patients (sometimes even younger ones) an unexplained drop in hematocrit (one sign of anemia) is an indication to do a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is now recommended as a routine screening test for people 50 years of age or older. Subsequent rescreenings are then scheduled based on the initial results found, with a five- or ten-year recall being common for colonoscopies with negative results.
