Diagnosis rates, as well as mortality rates, are increasing significantly among people under 55, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, underscoring the need for early colonoscopies in Brooklyn, NY. The slow but steady mortality increase in patients between 20 and 54 is especially disturbing because these people are generally in good health, remarked cancer epidemiologist Rebecca Siegel. As cancer rates declined slightly among black people, researchers said they were also re-thinking obesity’s role as a risk factor, since obesity rates are about the same among both blacks and whites. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men and the third leading cause among women. However, if the disease is caught in its early stages, the survival rate is about 90 percent.

When to Get a Colonoscopy

All women over 55 and all men over 50 should have regular colonoscopies. People should seek out this procedure even earlier if they have a family history of colorectal cancer or if they have any symptoms like:

• Bloody stools
• Change in bowel habits or consistency
• Weakness
• Chronic bloating or cramps

Sometimes, people dismiss these symptoms, and others like them, as mild hemorrhoids or indigestion, but they may be indicative of a much more serious problem, and only a colonoscopy in the Bronx, NYC can make that determination.

The Procedure

Like many other medical procedures, colonoscopies are much more advanced today than they were even a few years ago. So, if you went to the doctor for a colonoscopy in 2012 and come back for your five-year re-examination, the experience may be almost completely different than it was before, especially if you go to one of the top gastroenterologists. In this minimally-invasive procedure, the doctor uses a very long and very thin instrument that uses a tiny, high resolution lighted camera to examine the inside of your colon. You are comfortably sedated throughout the entire process. Colonoscopies are not just diagnostic procedures. After the initial look, the doctor takes a quick break to change out instruments, and replaces the camera with a surgical tool. The doctor can then remove any polyps or other abnormalities, and send the tissue to the lab for biopsy. In most cases, colonoscopy patients in Brooklyn, NY can return to normal functions the very next day. To schedule your colonoscopy and obtain peace of mind about your health, contact us today.