title: Colonic polyps in an unselected population: prevalence, characteristics, and associations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide a proctosigmoidoscopic review of a very large set of unselected control subjects, providing an unbiased view of colonic polyps in the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sigmoidoscopic data from 406 sequentially recruited subjects were analyzed. Participation rates were over 85%, and subjects were thus free of the usual selection bias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-eight percent of screened individuals were found to have distal colonic polyps. Adenomas were found in 12%, and hyperplastic polyps were found in 30% of screened individuals. Adenomas were more prevalent in males and in older individuals. Hyperplastic prevalence did not differ significantly by gender or age. Synchronous adenomatous and hyperplastic polyps occurred in 3% of screened individuals, but these lesions were not associated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Distal colonic adenomatous and hyperplastic polyps are very common in the general population and are not associated. The high frequency of these polyps raises questions about the feasibility of biopsy for all polyps, and suggests that further study is needed to determine the appropriate indications for subsequent colonoscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Cannon-Albright
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Samowitz
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: DiSario
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Burt
mesh_terms: D018256:Adenomatous Polyps / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012812:Sigmoidoscopy