Table 1.
Description of diagnostic approach for 20 patients seen spontaneously for a proctological problem versus the 133 patients for whom it was shown that there was a proctological problem after questioning:.
| Patients coming spontaneously for a proctological problem (n = 20) n (%) | Proctological problem after questioning (n = 133) n (%) | P-valuea | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints | |||
| Bleeding | 8 (40.0) | 41 (30.8) | 0.4 |
| Pain | 12 (60.0) | 35 (26.3) | 0.004 |
| Anal lump | 2 (10.0) | 31 (23.3) | 0.2 |
| Anal discharge | 4 (20.0) | 18 (13.5) | 0.5 |
| Uncontrolled anal leakage | 0 | 22 (16.5) | 0.08 |
| Constipation | 4 (20.0) | 47 (35.3) | 0.2 |
| Diarrhoea | 1 (5.0) | 11 (8.3) | 1.0 |
| Pruritus ani | 8 (40.0) | 26 (19.6) | 0.08 |
| Examinations | |||
| Examination of anal margin | 16 (80.0) | 75 (56.4) | 0.05 |
| Rectal examination | 10 (50.0) | 39 (29.3) | 0.08 |
| Anoscopy | 2 (10.0) | 1 (0.8) | 0.045 |
| Other clinical examination | 4 (20.0) | 2 (1.5) | 0.003 |
| At least one clinical examination in addition to questioning | 18 (90.0) | 79 (59.4) | 0.01 |
| Additional examinations | 2 (10.0) | 4 (3.0) | 0.2 |
| Diagnoses | |||
| Haemorrhoids | 11 (55.0) | 63 (47.4) | 0.6 |
| Anal fissure | 4 (20.0) | 10 (7.5) | 0.09 |
| Abscess and/or anal fistula | 1 (5.0) | 1 (0.8) | 0.2 |
| Dermatology disorder | 2 (10.0) | 9 (6.8) | 0.6 |
| Functional disorder | 2 (10.0) | 48 (36.1) | 0.02 |
| Tumour | 0 | 0 | – |
| Anorectal STI | 0 | 0 | – |
| Treatment | |||
| At least one treatment prescribed | 19 (95.0) | 97 (72.9) | 0.046 |
aFisher's Exact test.