Demographic and Clinical Profile of Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy in the Teaching Hospital for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Sulaymaniyah City, Kurdistan/Iraq

Colonoscopy serves as the primary diagnostic modality, screening, and therapeutic instrument for a wide range of pathologies of the rectum, colon, and terminal ileum. The aim of this study is to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and histological parameters of the records of patients who underwent colonoscopy at the Teaching Hospital for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Sulaymaniyah City. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study that included the hospital records of all the patients who had undergone colonoscopy from 2022 to 2024 in the Teaching Hospital for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Sulaymaniyah City. The study involved 933 patients, with a mean age of 46.6 years. The diagnostic yield of colonoscopy was 62.43%, with colorectal polyps being seen 17.04% of the time and ulcer lesions being inconclusive 5.03% of the time. Internal hemorrhoids were 11.78%. The odds ratio for colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) was 9.86 for ages >50 years and 0.14 for females. Age ≥50 years was associated with a higher chance of adenocarcinoma compared to those <50 years, but the confidence interval is wide owing to limited adenocarcinoma incidence (n = 27). The study shows colonoscopy is most used for gastrointestinal bleeding, bowel habits, and chronic abdominal pain, with underutilization in developed countries and lower patient age in Kurdish-inhabited area.