Rethinking What We Know About Hemorrhoids

Although hemorrhoids are responsible for considerable economic cost and personal suffering, they have received surprisingly little research attention. In the United States, hemorrhoids are the third most common outpatient gastrointestinal diagnosis with nearly 4 million office and emergency department visits annually. The etiology of hemorrhoids is speculative. A low-fiber diet and constipation have historically been thought to increase the risk for hemorrhoids, but not proven. Symptoms commonly attributed to hemorrhoids include bleeding, pain, pruritus, fecal seepage, prolapse, and mucus discharge. Research has found that these symptoms were equally reported by patients with and without hemorrhoids. Medical therapies for hemorrhoids have not been formally studied except for fiber where the results have been inconsistent. A number of office-based interventions such as rubber band ligation and infrared coagulation are widely used and economically favorable for practitioners. Surgical procedures are effective at eliminating hemorrhoids but may be painful. Given the burden of disease and numerous gaps in our understanding, the time has come for targeted research to understand the cause, symptoms, and best treatment for patients with symptomatic hemorrhoids

How to Promote the Academic Success of Junior Faculty Physicians in Gastroenterology

Because landing a GI fellowship is so competitive, trainees in gastroenterology are among the most talented young physicians in medicine. Having navigated a gauntlet of challenges, and sporting exceptional board scores and clinical evaluations, they are superbly prepared to face the challenges of our profession. Many of these physicians express interest in an academic career during their training. However, relatively few achieve academic excellence as junior faculty. What happens to winnow the numbers? What is the system doing wrong? How can institutions increase the chances of academic success in junior faculty

Etiopathogenetic Mechanisms in Diverticular Disease of the Colon

This article reviews epidemiological evidence of heritability and putative mechanisms in diverticular disease, with greatest attention to 3 recent studies of genetic associations with diverticular disease based on genome-wide or whole-genome sequencing studies in large patient cohorts. We provide an analysis of the biological plausibility of the significant associations with gene variants reported and highlight the relevance of ANO1, CPI-17 (aka PPP1R14A), COLQ6, COL6A1, CALCB or CALCA, COL6A1, ARHGAP15, and S100A10 to colonic neuromuscular function and tissue properties that may result in altered compliance and predispose to the development of diverticular disease. Such studies also identify candidate genes for future studies

Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Earlier Diagnoses or Increasing Disease Burden?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in the United States have changed strikingly in recent decades. Overall, CRC incidence decreased by >30% from 1975 (59.5 per 100,000) to 2013 (37.9 per 100,000). CRC mortality similarly declined from 28.1 per 100,000 in 1975 to 14.5 per 100,000 in 2013—nearly a 50% decrease.1 Screen-eligible populations, particularly those over age 65, have experienced the largest declines in incidence and mortality

Obesity is associated with decreased risk of microscopic colitis in women

BACKGROUND Microscopic colitis is a leading cause of diarrhea in the older adults. There is limited information about risk factors. We hypothesized that obesity would be associated with microscopic colitis. AIM To examine the association between obesity and microscopic colitis in men and women undergoing colonoscopy. METHODS We conducted a case-control study at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. We identified and enrolled men and women referred for elective, outpatient colonoscopy for chronic diarrhea. We excluded patients with a past diagnosis of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. A research pathologist reviewed biopsies on every patient and classified them as microscopic colitis cases or non-microscopic colitis controls. Patients provided information on body weight, height and exposure to medications via structured interviews or Internet based forms. The analysis included 110 patients with microscopic colitis (cases) and 252 nonmicroscopic colitis controls. Multivariable analyses were performed using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS Cases were older and more likely than controls to be white race. Study subjects were well educated, but cases were better educated than controls. Cases with microscopic colitis had lower body mass index than controls and reported more weight loss after the onset of diarrhea. Compared to patients who were normal or under-weight, obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) patients were substantially less likely to have microscopic colitis after adjusting for age and education, adjusted OR (aOR) 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.66). When stratified by sex, the association was limited to obese women, aOR 0.21, 95%CI: 0.10-0.45. Patients with microscopic colitis were more likely to report weight loss after the onset of diarrhea. After stratifying by weight loss, there remained a strong inverse association between obesity and microscopic colitis, aOR 0.33, 95%CI: 0.10 - 1.11 among the patients who did not lose weight. Ever use of birth control pills was associated with lower risk of microscopic colitis after adjusting for age, education and BMI, aOR 0.38, 95%CI: 0.17-0.84. CONCLUSION Compared to controls also seen for diarrhea, microscopic colitis cases were less likely to be obese. Mechanisms are unknown but could involve hormonal effects of obesity or the gut microbiome

Sex and Race Disparities in Diverticulosis Prevalence

Background & Aims: The prevalence of diverticulosis differs with demographic features of patients, but evidence is limited. Well-defined demographic studies are necessary to understand diverticulosis biology. We estimated the prevalence of diverticulosis among patients of different ages, sexes, and races and ethnicities and calculated odds ratios. Design: Using data from an endoscopic database, we identified 271,181 colonoscopy procedures performed from 2000 through 2012 at 107 sites in the United States. Our analysis included individuals 40 years and older who underwent colonoscopy examination for average-risk screening. The outcome was any reported diverticulosis on colonoscopy. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI values, adjusting for confounding variables. Results: The prevalence of diverticulosis increased with age in men and women of all races and ethnicities. Women 40-49 years old had significantly lower odds of any diverticulosis (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.63-0.80) compared with men 40-49 years old, after adjustment. The strength of this association decreased with age. Compared with non-Hispanic white individuals, non-Hispanic black individuals (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.77-0.83) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.35-0.41) had lower odds of any diverticulosis. However, non-Hispanic black individuals (OR, 1.53, 95% CI, 1.44-1.62) had increased odds of any proximal diverticulosis, whereas Asian/Pacific Islanders (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.67-3.66) had increased odds of only proximal diverticulosis. Conclusions: In an analysis of data from 271,181 colonoscopy procedures, diverticulosis was less prevalent in women compared with men in the same age groups, indicating that sex hormones might affect pathogenesis. Differences in the odds of diverticulosis by race and ethnicity indicate a genetic contribution to risk

Racial Disparities in Incidence of Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer and Patient Survival

Background & Aims: Increasing rates of young-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) have attracted substantial research and media attention, but we know little about racial disparities among younger adults with CRC. We examined racial disparities in young-onset CRC by comparing CRC incidence and relative survival among younger (<50-year-old) adults in 2 time periods. Methods: Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of cancer registries, we estimated CRC incidence rates (per 100,000 persons 20–49 years old) from 1992 through 2014 for different periods (1992–1996 vs 2010–2014) and races (white vs black). Relative survival was calculated as the ratio of observed survival to expected survival in a comparable cancer-free population. Results: From 1992–1996 to 2010–2014, CRC incidence increased from 7.5 to 11.0 per 100,000 in white individuals and from 11.7 to 12.7 per 100,000 in black individuals. The increase in rectal cancer was larger in whites (from 2.7 to 4.5 per 100,000) than in blacks (from 3.4 to 4.0 per 100,000); in the 2010–2014 period, blacks and whites had similar rates of rectal cancer. Compared with whites, blacks had smaller increases in relative survival with proximal colon cancer but larger increases in survival with rectal cancer (from 55.3% to 70.8%). Conclusion: In an analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we found racial disparities in incidence of young-onset CRC and patient survival for cancer of the colon but minimal difference for rectal cancer. Well-documented and recent increases in young-onset CRC have largely been due to increases in rectal cancer, especially in whites

Silvio O. Conte Digestive Disease Research Core Centers—Connecting People, Creating Opportunities, Developing Careers

The Silvio O. Conte Digestive Research Core Center (DDRCC) program is an initiative funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The program is named after long-serving Massachusetts congressman Silvio O. Conte who sponsored legislation to establish the centers that are designed to bring together basic and clinical investigators to enhance research related to digestive and/or liver diseases and their complications

No Increase in Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Privately Insured Adults Prescribed Proton Pump Inhibitors vs Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists (2002–2014)

Background & Aims: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used medications. Recent studies reported an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (MI) in PPI users vs non-users. We evaluated MI risk associated with PPIs compared with histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) in privately insured adults in the United States. Methods: Using administrative claims from commercial and Medicare Supplemental plans (2001–2014), we compared risk of MI in patients who started a new prescription for PPIs vs H2RAs. Enrollees were followed from their first prescription until MI, medication discontinuation, plan disenrollment, or December 31, 2014. MI was defined using hospital diagnosis codes. Risk differences (RD), risk ratios, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods at 3, 12, and 36 months after treatment initiation. Standardized morbidity ratio weights were used to control measured confounding. Analyses were stratified by plan type (commercial vs Medicare Supplemental). Results: We identified more than 5 million new users of prescription PPIs and H2RAs. Median follow-up time was 60 days for patients with commercial insurance and 96 days in patients with Medicare Supplemental insurance. The 12-month weighted risk of MI was low overall (approximately 2 cases per 1000 among patients in commercial plans; 8 per 1000 among patients in Medicare Supplemental plans). In the RD analysis, we found no significant differences in MI risk between patients who started PPIs vs H2RAs for the first 12 months, either in the commercial population (weighted RD per 1000, –0.08; 95% CI, –0.51 to 0.36) or the Medicare Supplemental population (weighted RD per 1000, –0.45; 95% CI, –1.53 to 0.58). Conclusion: In an analysis of administrative claims from commercial and Medicare Supplemental plans, we found no evidence that prescription PPIs increase risk of MI compared with prescription H2RAs. Physicians and patients should not avoid starting a PPI because of concerns related to MI risk

Diverticulosis Is Associated With Internal Hemorrhoids on Colonoscopy: Possible Clues to Etiology

Hemorrhoids are a common but poorly understood gastrointestinal condition. Bowel habits and fiber consumption are frequently cited as risk factors for hemorrhoids, but research has been inconclusive. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have suggested an association between diverticular disease and hemorrhoids. We sought to investigate the association between colonic diverticulosis and internal hemorrhoids to validate the prediction from the GWAS