Do Minor Adverse Events after Colonoscopy Have Major Consequences?

Numerous studies have examined the major complications of colonoscopy, particularly perforation, bleeding, and splenic injury. But few studies have evaluated minor postcolonoscopy adverse events and their consequences. To do so, investigators in the Netherlands assessed data from telephone surveys of 1144 patients who had undergone colonoscopy 30 days earlier.

Minor adverse events definitely related to colonoscopy were reported by 29% of patients. The most common of these events were abdominal pain (17% of patients) followed by minor rectal bleeding (6%) and change in bowel habits (5%). Factors associated with any definite major or minor adverse event included female gender, age <50 years, colonoscopy performed for cancer screening or survei…