S468 Rapid, Sustained Quality of Life Gains and Gastrointestinal Symptom Relief After Colonoscopy: A Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Whether colonoscopy temporarily worsens or relieves gastrointestinal symptoms remains unclear; we therefore tracked short-term changes in quality of life (QoL) and symptom severity (SSS) in adults after the procedure. Methods: A single-center prospective cohort was conducted in Egypt, where 42 adult out-patients scheduled for diagnostic colonoscopy completed validated QoL and SSS questionnaires at baseline (pre-procedure), 10 days, and 30 days after colonoscopy; individuals in whom colorectal cancer was diagnosed were excluded. Because 4 of 6 score distributions were non-normal (Shapiro–Wilk P < 0.05), within-subject change was analyzed with the Friedman test followed by Holm-adjusted Wilcoxon signed-rank comparisons. Results: QoL improved overall (χ²₂ = 7.70, P = 0.021; Kendall W = 0.09, small effect). Median QoL rose from 62 (interquartile range 55–68) at baseline to 69 (63–75) at day 10 (P = 0.0176) and 75 (69–82) at day 30 (P = 0.0014); the 10-to-30-day increment was also significant (P = 0.0176). Symptom burden fell in mirror fashion (χ²₂ = 17.39, P < 0.001; W = 0.21, moderate effect). Median SSS declined from 277 (240–315) to 238 (200–275) at day 10 (P = 0.0233) and to 190 (150–225) at day 30 (P = 0.00044); the additional drop between day 10 and day 30 was significant (P = 0.00044). All 6 pairwise contrasts remained significant after Holm adjustment. Conclusion: Among adults undergoing colonoscopy, health-related QoL rises, and symptom burden falls within 10 days of the procedure and continues to improve through day 30. These findings suggest colonoscopy confers a rapid clinical benefit whose biological mechanisms and longer-term durability warrant further investigation.