Abstract |
Cutaneous skin tags (acrochordons) have recently been proposed as markers for adenomatous polyps of the colon among symptomatic patients referred for colonoscopy. To ascertain the utility of skin tags as a predictor of colonic polyps in a primary care setting, 492 patients, with a mean age of 58 +/- 13.3 years (241 with signs or symptoms and 251 for screening), were evaluated for the presence of skin tags and then examined using a 60-cm fiberoptic sigmoidoscope by an examiner "blinded" to the skin findings. Among patients with skin tags, 23 (10.2%) of 226 had polyps, whereas among patients without skin tags, 20 (7.5%) of 266 had polyps. The predictive value of the presence of a skin tag was 10.2%. Contrary to studies done in more selected populations with a higher prevalence of adenomatous polyps, the results using a 60-cm flexible sigmoidoscope in a primary care population suggest that cutaneous skin tags are not a marker for adenomatous polyps of the colon.
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Authors | B E Gould, R C Ellison, H L Greene, J D Bernhard |
Journal | Archives of internal medicine
(Arch Intern Med)
Vol. 148
Issue 8
Pg. 1799-800
(Aug 1988)
ISSN: 0003-9926 [Print] United States |
PMID | 3401101
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)
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Topics |
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Colonic Polyps
(complications, diagnosis)
- Colonoscopy
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Skin Diseases
(complications)
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