Benign Colorectal Disease in the Elderly

Abstract

Benign colorectal diseases are a cause of many quality of life impairments for patients. With aging of the population, physicians are likely to encounter more affected patients in the years to come. Constipation, especially prevalent among older patients, has many downstream effects and, with these, may create significant morbidity and expense for patients. Chronic straining and pelvic floor weakness may result in rectal prolapse that usually can be corrected with an appropriate surgical intervention. With antibiotic use, there is risk of Clostridium difficile infection which may complicate recovery from a host of conditions seen in elderly patients. Only in fulminant cases is surgery typically required. Colonic volvulus is an unusual cause of large bowel obstruction in the United States; however, its frequency too increases with patient age. Mortality may result from incorrect diagnosis or failure to intervene promptly. Fecal incontinence is disabling for a large cohort of elderly patients, and although not always reversible, the impact on quality of life can be minimized with a number of strategies.