A short while ago, we drew our readers’ attention to information about bowel cancer and learning disabilities produced in Scotland, where it is the second biggest killer.

The authors of this review were interested in colonoscopy,  an endoscopic examination of the large bowel and the distal part of the small bowel camera They looked at colonoscopies performed from 2002 through 2010 on adults with learning and developmental disabilities in the USA.

They looked at quality and safety of examinations and hoped to use their findings to formulate a plan to improve quality. They found that the individuals concerned had a number of other health issues including digestive motility disorders and epilepsy. They compared results with examinations performed in a random group of 40 adults without learning disabilities who had been examined between 2004 and 2008.

They found a high rate of colonoscopy preparation failure and failed examinations in the learning disabilities group as well as preparation complications.

In relation to a plan for improving quality to recommend careful preoperative evaluation of individuals with learning disabilities and

limiting colonoscopy to individuals who are able to tolerate preparation and comply with hydration. In relation to the a plan for improving quality to recommend

 

Colonoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Screening in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Review of a Series of Cases and Recommendations for Examination, Fischer L et al., in . Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 50, 5, 383-390