What Are Colon Polyps?
4. Common Risk Factors
While polyps are not always preventable, some risk factors may make a person more susceptible to developing them over their lifetime. Polyps usually strike people over 50 years old. Family history may also indicate a higher risk. A close relative such as a sibling or parent with colorectal cancer or non-cancerous polyps means a higher risk of occurrence.
Someone with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis may have a higher chance of developing polyps in the colon. Smoking, regular alcohol use and obesity also contribute to the development of polyps.
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