Pattern of Diseases in Female Patients Presenting with Bleeding Per Rectum

Objective: To determine the pattern of diseases in female patients presenting with bleeding per rectum at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi. Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive study Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at surgical department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi from January 2012 to June 2012. Materials and Methods: 100 females with bleeding per rectum were included in the study. Proper history and examination was performed and diagnostic procedures like digital rectal examination and proctoscopy were undertaken. Examination under anesthesia, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and biopsies were undertaken in selected patients to reach final diagnosis. Results: The average age of the female patients was 34 with range of 11 to 75 years. Anal fissure (59%) was the leading cause of bleeding per rectum. Second frequent cause of rectal bleeding was hemorrhoids (34%). Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 4% and IBD in 2% patient. One patient was suffering from cryptococcal fungal infection. Conclusion: Anal fissure is most common cause of bleeding per rectum in female patients followed by hemorrhoids. Incidence of colorectal cancer in patients with rectal bleeding is not negligible in our setup.