Bowel

Bowel Examinations

There can be many reasons to examine the bowel, whether it concerns the large intestine (colon) or the rectum. Today, the first choice is often an endoscopic examination with a video camera, while scans and X-ray examinations are primarily considered supplementary.

The typical reasons for performing bowel examinations are:

• Blood and/or mucus in the stool.

• Changing bowel habits or altered defecation for more than four weeks.

• Persistent abdominal pain.

• Unexplained weight loss.

• Anemia (blood deficiency) of unknown cause.

• Family history of bowel cancer.

• Screening for bowel cancer.

For a colonoscopy (examination of the large intestine), you should pay particular attention to the section on sedation, as there may be precautions regarding accompaniment and transportation.

Changed bowel habits

Changed bowel habits mean that your stool has shifted away from what is usually normal for you. It may be more or less frequent bowel movements, looser or harder consistency, thinner stools than usual, mucus, or a sense of incomplete emptying.

Short-lived changes after, for example, a gastrointestinal infection, a change of diet, travel or new medication often settle again. If a new bowel pattern continues without an obvious explanation, it should be assessed further. With blood in the stool, unintended weight loss, anaemia, symptoms that wake you at night, or new persistent abdominal pain, medical assessment should be sought earlier. Which examinations are relevant depends among other things on age, symptoms, previous examinations and test results.

Blood in the stool · Colonoscopy · Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) · Chronic diarrhoea · Constipation