title: Can we predict the development of ischemic colitis among patients with lower abdominal pain?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to find clinical risk factors for developing ischemic colitis in patients experiencing lower abdominal discomfort with or without bloody diarrhea.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 467 patients who underwent sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy because of lower abdominal discomforts with or without blood in stool were consecutively enrolled; 147 patients were diagnosed endoscopically and histologically as having ischemic colitis. The control group was composed of the remaining 320 patients with nonspecific endoscopic/histologic findings. Clinical variables were compared between the ischemic colitis group and the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After excluding 67 patients in the ischemic colitis group, we compared the remaining 80 patients to the control group, using various clinical parameters. According to the logistic regression analysis, six factors were significantly related to ischemic colitis: older than aged 60 years (adjusted odds ratio, 5.7; 95 percent confidence interval: 2.6-11.7), hemodialysis (5; 1.2-21.6), hypertension (4.9; 2.3-10.5), hypoalbuminemia (3.5; 1.8-6.7), diabetes mellitus (3.4; 1.3-8.8), and constipation-inducing medications (2.8; 1.1-7.1). Through our analysis, we were able to predict the development of ischemic colitis for the patients with 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4+ risk factors: 8, 21, 55, 79, and 100 percent, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Old age, hemodialysis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypoalbuminemia, and constipation-inducing medications are clinically important risk factors for ischemic colitis in patients experiencing lower abdominal discomfort with or without bloody stool. By considering these factors, we were able to predict with high accuracy the development of ischemic colitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University Medical Center, 445 Kildong, Kangdong-Gu, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chi Jun
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Myoung Kuk
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Woon Geon
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Hyoung Su
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hee Seon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ja Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyung Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joon Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hak Yang
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Sook
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Jae Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D012812:Sigmoidoscopy
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin