Clinical features of Japanese patients with colonic angiodysplasia

Abstract

Background and aim: With improvements in endoscopic resolution, angiodysplasia (AGD) has become an increasingly recognized disorder. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features of Japanese patients with colonic AGD and compare them to the clinical features of Western patients.

Methods: Retrospective analyses were performed in all patients who had undergone colonoscopical examination from March 2003 to October 2005 at the Kyoto University Hospital. Four independent literature searches were performed to document the characteristics of colonic AGD in Western countries. The characteristics of 41 Japanese patients diagnosed as having colonic AGD were compared with those of Western patients.

Results: The incidence of colonic AGD increased with age, and the most prevalent underlying disease in patients with colonic AGD was cardiovascular disease (56.1%). These tendencies were similar in the Japanese and Western data. Colonic AGD in Japanese patients was predominantly located in the left colon (41.7%), whereas in Western patients, it was mainly located in the right colon (54%-81.9%). The percentage of colonic AGD with a size of more than 5 mm or elevated type detected in Japanese patients was significantly higher than that in Western patients.

Conclusion: The characteristics of Japanese patients with colonic AGD were similar to those of Western patients, except for its localization, size, and type.