Background and study aims: Colonoscopy can cause anxiety and discomfort in patients. Sedation and analgesia as premedication can lead to complications in the elderly and those with comorbidities. This has led to an interest in the use of audio-visual distraction during the colonoscopy. We compared the effects of audio (AD) versus visual distraction (VD) in reducing discomfort and the need for sedation during colonoscopy. Patients and methods: Consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy were randomized into three groups: one group was allowed to listen to the music of their choice (AD), the second group was allowed to watch a movie of their choice (VD), and the third group was not allowed either distraction during colonoscopy and acted as a control (C). Patient controlled analgesia and sedation were administered to all three groups. We used 25 mg of pethidine in 5-mg aliquots and 2.5 mg of midazolam in 0.5-mg aliquots. All patients were assessed for perceived pain and willingness to repeat the procedure. Number of “top-ups” of sedation and total dose of pethidine and midazolam were noted. Patient cooperation and ease of procedure were assessed by the colonoscopist. Results: In total, 200 patients were recruited [AD, n = 66 (32 males, median age 57 years); VD, n = 67 (43 males, median age 58 years); C, n = 67 (35 males, median age 59 years)]. The AD group had significantly less pain (P = 0.001), better patient cooperation (P = 0.001) and willingness to undergo a repeat procedure (P = 0.024) compared with VD and C groups. Conclusions: AD reduces pain and discomfort, improves patient cooperation and willingness to undergo a repeat procedure, and seems a useful, simple adjunct to low dose sedation during colonoscopy.Study registration: SLCTR/2014/031.

AIMTo estimate prevalence and phenotypic associations of selected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated genetic variants among Sri Lankan patients.METHODSA case study of histologically confirmed ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) patients with ≥ 1 year disease duration, who were compared to unrelated, gender-matched, healthy individuals as controls, was conducted at four major centers in Sri Lanka. Phenotypic data of the cases were obtained and all participants were genotyped for 16 selected genetic variants: IL12B:rs1045431, IL23R:rs11805303, ARPC2:rs12612347, IRGM:rs13361189, IL26/IL22:rs1558744, CDH1:rs1728785, IL10:rs3024505, FCGR2A:rs3737240, PTGER4:rs4613763, IL17REL/PIM3:rs5771069, HNF4a:rs6017342, STAT3:rs744166, SMURF1:rs7809799, LAMB1:rs886774, HLA-DRB5, DQA1, DRB1, DRA:rs9268853, MST1, UBA7, and APEH:rs9822268. The genotypes of all variants were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (P > 10−3). To account for multiple hypothesis testing, P-values < 0.003 were considered significant.RESULTSA total of 415 patients and 465 controls were recruited. Out of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tested, the majority were not associated with IBD in Sri Lankans. Significant positive associations were noted between rs886774 (LAMB1-gene) and UC (odds ratio (OR) = 1.42, P = 0.001). UC patients with rs886774 had mild disease (OR = 1.66, P < 0.001) and remained in remission (OR = 1.48, P < 0.001). A positive association was noted between rs10045431 (IL 12B gene) and upper gastrointestinal involvement in CD (OR = 4.76, P = 0.002).CONCLUSIONThis confirms the heterogeneity of allelic mutations in South Asians compared to Caucasians. Most SNPs and disease associations reported here have not been described in South Asians.

Background. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is an uncommon disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the digestive tract, which occurs due to an uncertain aetiology. Although autoimmune diseases can later present as EGE, it is unusual for EGE to have positive autoimmune antibodies without the presence of an overt autoimmune disease. Case presentation. We report a 38-year-old previously healthy man who presented with abdominal discomfort and loose stools with pleural and peritoneal effusions progressing over several weeks. His investigations revealed severe eosinophilia in peripheral blood and ascitic fluid, and a laparoscopic full-thickness biopsy from the ileum demonstrated infiltration of eosinophils in all three layers of the intestine. There were no clinical features or investigations suggestive of parasitic disease, other diseases associated with eosinophilia, or autoimmune disease. Further investigations showed a highly positive ANA, positive p-ANCA, but did not meet the criteria to diagnose a specific autoimmune disease. The eosinophilia responded to an elimination diet with gradual resolution of eosinophilia and effusions, and once it reappeared after introduction of a normal diet. Conclusion. EGE presenting as peripheral blood and ascitic fluid eosinophilia with the presence of pleural and/or peritoneal effusions is uncommon. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis can be associated with autoantibody positivity without any evidence of overt autoimmune disease manifestations. Elimination diet can be used as a potential option to prevent recurrences of EGE.

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Background: Hospital admissions with diabetes-related complications are on the rise in Sri Lanka. We aimed to study indications for hospital admissions and the prevalence of micro, macrovascular and non-vascular comorbidities in patients with diabetes mellitus admitted to a medical unit in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was carried out in Teaching Hospital Karapitiya over six months. Four hundred in-ward patients with diabetes were studied. Evidence of diabetes nephropathy, nonvascular co-morbidities and indication for admission were extracted from medical records using a pretested data extraction form. Screening for Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), and diabetic retinopathy (DR) were carried out using standard protocols. Results: The highest number of admissions (142) were due to infections of which 52.8 % were females. One-third (33.8%) of the patients had previous admissions during the past year with a significant female preponderance (66%). DPN and DR were detected in 55.4% and 52.9% respectively with a significant proportion of them being females. Diabetic nephropathy was diagnosed in 27.9%. Nearly half (47.3%) of the sample was on treatment for hypertension and 39.4% were on statins. Evidence of previous myocardial infarction was significantly higher among the females compared to males (72.8% vs. 27. 2%). Conclusions: Infections were the most frequent indication for hospital admission among diabetic patients. DPN and DR are significantly higher among females than males. Use of statins for dyslipidaemia is suboptimal among the admitted patients.