Patient lifestyle, medication use and comorbidities
| Full dataset (n=310) | |
| n (%) | |
| Questionnaire data | |
| Smoking status | |
| Current smoker | 23 (7) |
| Ex-smoker | 125 (40) |
| Non-smoker (never smoked) | 162 (52) |
| Alcohol in last 12 months* | |
| Frequent drinker | 138 (45) |
| Infrequent drinker | 48 (16) |
| Teetotal/rarely drinks | 124 (40) |
| BMI | |
| Underweight (below 18.5) | 12 (4) |
| Normal (18.5–24.9) | 135 (44) |
| Overweight (25–29.9) | 101 (33) |
| Obese (30 and above) | 56 (18) |
| Imaging and screening | |
| Bowel screening test (past 5 years) | 226 (73) |
| Medication use | |
| NSAIDs | 59 (19) |
| Aspirin | 47 (15) |
| Anticoagulants/blood thinners | 51 (17) |
| Antidepressants | 38 (12) |
| None of the above | 145 (47) |
| Comorbidities (non-GI only) | |
| Diabetes | 43 (14) |
| Arthritis | 95 (31) |
| Anxiety or depression | 77 (25) |
| Laboratory data† | |
| Hb‡ (n=282) | |
| Low | 51 (18) |
| Within normal range | 231 (82) |
| Platelet count§ (n=282) | |
| Low | 11 (4) |
| Within normal range | 254 (90) |
| High (>400) | 17 (6) |
| ESR¶ (n=53) | |
| Low | 3 (6) |
| Within normal range | 32 (60) |
| High | 18 (34) |
| CRP** (n=190) | |
| Within normal range | 142 (75) |
| High | 48 (25) |
Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Missing data: BMI (n=6). Percentages in table calculated considering complete cases.
*Frequent drinker: almost every day or about twice a week. Infrequent drinker: about once a week or about once a fortnight. Teetotal/rarely drinks: only a few times a year or never drinks alcohol.
†Four cases with available test results were excluded as they were not carried out ≤6 months of a FIT (n=3) or dates were not available (n=1)—these tests are more likely to have been carried out for different reasons. Median interval between FIT and other tests was 2 days (IQR 0-6.5 days).
‡Hb ranges: low <130 men and <115 women, within normal range 130–180 men and 115–165 women.
§Platelet ranges: low <140, within normal range 140–400, high >400.
¶ESR ranges: low <1 men and <3 women, within normal range 1–10 men and 3–15 women, high >10 men and >15 women.
**CRP within normal range 0–5, high >5.
BMI, body mass index; CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; FIT, faecal immunochemical test; GI, gastrointestinal; Hb, haemoglobin; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.