Age as a risk factor in colonoscopy: fact versus fiction.

Age has been assumed to be an independent risk factor in patients undergoing colonoscopy. However, this has never been specifically studied. We evaluated 302 patients 65 yr old or older, to determine the incidence of complications. We found that the risk is comparable to that of the heterogeneous patient population previously reported, except for a slightly increased incidence of delayed bleeding subsequent to polypectomy. In addition, the presence of cardiac, pulmonary, liver, or kidney disease was not found to be associated with an increased incidence of complications. Neither was there an increased risk of complications in patients undergoing colonoscopy, who had previously undergone abdominal or pelvic surgery. In summary, older patients experience the same risks as younger patients, except for post-polypectomy delayed bleeding, which may be related to atherosclerosis of the blood vessels, and appears to be more common in elderly patients.