Endoscopy after 40

Understanding the Silent Threat

Our bodies are complex machines. Sometimes, parts of this machine can develop problems without showing any early warning signs. This is especially true for your digestive system.

One such silent problem is cancer of the gut. While it might sound scary, the good news is that we can often find it early which makes it much easier to treat. This is where a screening endoscopy comes in.

The Indian Context

In India, unfortunately, many people are diagnosed with gut-related cancers at advanced stages. This often makes treatment difficult and reduces the chances of a full recovery. To change this, it's crucial to adopt preventive measures.

The Importance of Screening

A screening endoscopy is a simple procedure where a thin, flexible tube with a camera is gently inserted into your digestive tract. This allows us to examine the lining of your food pipe, stomach, and intestines for any abnormalities.

• Early Detection: We can often spot tiny, precancerous changes or even early-stage cancers that cause no symptoms. This gives us a chance to treat them before they become a bigger problem.
• Prevention: Removing precancerous growths can prevent cancer from developing altogether.
• Peace of Mind: Knowing your digestive system is healthy can significantly reduce worry and anxiety.
• Incidental findings: We can pick up non-cancerous ailments which could be causing you problems and treat them effectively 

When to Consider a Screening Endoscopy

While general recommendations suggest starting screening at 40, it’s essential to discuss your personal risk factors with your doctor. If you have a family history of gut-related cancers or other risk factors, you might need to start earlier.

Remember, prevention is always better than cure. A simple endoscopy can save your life. Don’t delay this important step in taking care of your health.

The reason for writing this at this time:

I came across a rare case of the Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome. 

That’s patient incidentally came for his endoscopy to check for Crohn’s disease.

The symptoms of Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome (MRS) present as a triad of:

1. persistent or recurrent upper lip oedema (oedema is a build-up of body fluid), 

2. relapsing facial paralysis and 

3. a fissure tongue. 

MRS is commonly associated with the more well known Crohn’s disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, diagnosed with a colonoscopy on routine investigations.

If you or your loved ones are diagnosed with Crohn’s, make sure to keep a look out for the triad of symptoms and ask your doctor about if any present themselves. 

A little extra caution goes a long way!