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. 2021 Nov 30;13(11):e20039.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.20039. eCollection 2021 Nov.

Cost Analysis of Diagnostic Endoscopic Procedures for Chronic Diarrhoea

Woo Jae Kim  1 , Shadi Abdelrahman  2 , Adam Daneshyar  2 , Ghiath Ismayl  3 , Steve Odogwu  4
Affiliations

Cost Analysis of Diagnostic Endoscopic Procedures for Chronic Diarrhoea

Woo Jae Kim et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Chronic diarrhoea is a common condition that affects up to 5% of the population which heavily affects the quality of life for the patient. The British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines recommend that for those who suffer with chronic diarrhoea, a colonoscopy with a biopsy is recommended to exclude microscopic colitis. This retrospective audit included 147 patients who received endoscopic procedures in 2019 at Walsall Manor Hospital for chronic diarrhoea. The results show that a total of £56,797 was incurred through endoscopic and histological investigation with four patients (2.6%) diagnosed with microscopic colitis. Given the lack of diagnostic yield, there is room for advancement in the current guidelines for managing persistent diarrhoea.

Keywords: chronic diarrhoea; costs and cost analysis; general gastroenterology; utilization of endoscopy; colonoscopy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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