Prevalence and risk factors of pre-neoplastic polyps in patients with ulcerative colits: a cross-sectional retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE

To Describe the prevalence of adenomatous and serrated polyps in ulcerative colitis and investigate risk factors associated with the development and recurrence of preneoplastic polyps.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, colonoscopy findings and clinical data from patients diagnosed with ulcerative colitis who were treated at a tertiary care center were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 240 patients were included (56.3% female, 79% with left-sided or extensive colitis, and 7.5% diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis). The prevalence of adenomatous and serrated polyps was 16.2% (39/240). Age >41 (OR=2.85, 95%CI=1.4 - 5.8; p=0.0125), older age at the first colonoscopy (OR=1.04, 95%CI=1.01 - 1.06; p=0.0015), and higher body mass index (OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.0 - 1.1; p=0.0042) were identified as risk factors for polyps development (p<0.05). Regarding recurrence, 11 out of 39 patients presented with polyps on subsequent colonoscopies, with a mean time to recurrence of 47.5 months. No factors were found to be associated with polyp recurrence.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of adenomatous and serrated polyps in patients with ulcerative colitis appeared to be lower than that reported in the general population.