Ms. Song, 48, has had unexplained blood in her stool for three months, but she has always mistaken it for hemorrhoids and was reluctant to go to the hospital until the symptoms became more and more serious.
The doctor said that Ms. Song's polyp grows in the upper rectum, and from the shape, appearance and pathology, it is an adenomatous polyp, and if you do not actively intervene, the risk of polyp malignancy is high over time.
Different people have different opinions about intestinal polyps, some people think that intestinal polyps will not become malignant, so they can be left alone, but some people say that intestinal polyps have a certain tendency to malignantly transform, so it is better to intervene early.
A study conducted by Dr. Jonas F. Ludvigsson and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and published online in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, showed that any polyp increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), while the three subtypes of broad-based serrated polyps, tubular villous adenomas, and villous adenoma increase mortality.
It can be seen that if there are polyps in the intestines, you must not ignore them.
So, when polyps grow in the intestines, what are the prompts for going to the toilet? As a doctor, I would like to remind everyone that there are 4 prompts when going to the toilet, be alert to intestinal polyps, and don't wait until the middle and late stages to find out.
First, polyps grow in the intestines, and there may be blood in the stool when you go to the toilet
Polyps can cause blood in the stool, especially adenomatous polyps, if the stool is relatively hard, when passing through the intestinal polyp, the stool can easily cut through the blood vessels on the surface of the polyp, which can easily lead to blood in the stool.
It should be noted that if the polyp grows in the left half of the colon, the blood in the stool is usually dark red blood, and if the polyp grows in the right half of the colon, the blood in the stool is usually black.
Second, polyps grow in the intestines, and the shape of the stool may change when you go to the toilet
Some polyps will get bigger and bigger over time, especially adenomatous polyps, many adenomatous polyps may have a diameter of more than 3 centimeters when they are found, such a large polyp is easy to block the intestinal lumen, and the stool is like being mechanically squeezed when passing through the stricture, resulting in abnormal thinning of the stool, and in severe cases, there will be difficulty in defecation, which is what we call constipation.
Third, polyps grow in the intestines, and there may be a change in bowel habits when going to the toilet
Normal people's bowel habits are very regular, fixed in the morning of each day, especially after eating breakfast, bowel movements will be smoother, the reason is the gastrocolic reflex, in layman's terms, that is, after the stomach is full, the reflex causes the colon peristalsis to increase, and the colon peristalsis speed increases, which is conducive to promoting defecation.
If there are polyps in the intestines, under the stimulation of the polyps, the patient may have repeated urge to defecate, and even have tenesmus and a feeling of incomplete bowel movements, which is what everyone usually calls a change in bowel habits.
Fourth, polyps grow in the intestines, and abdominal pain may occur when you go to the toilet
Intestinal polyps can cause abdominal pain, because polyps cause intestinal blockage, easy to cause intestinal obstruction, patients will have abdominal pain, some polyps have been malignant, due to the invasion of nerves, may also lead to abnormal abdominal pain.
Since polyps have a tendency to become malignant, the earlier they are detected, the better the treatment effect, and the earlier they are detected, the more timely they can be found, so as to avoid further development of polyps.
How can intestinal polyps be detected in time? The best way is to have a colonoscopy, because long-term smoking, alcoholism, like a high-fat diet, rarely eat vegetables and fruits, people who do not like to exercise, are more likely to suffer from intestinal polyps, so these people should develop a good habit of regular physical examination.
Also, if there is a family history of intestinal polyps, then a physical examination should also be taken into account.
Intestinal polyps are treatable, and the vast majority of intestinal polyps that are found before malignant transformation can be minimally removed endoscopically.