digestive disorders
Polyps of the Colon and Rectum
Symptoms of Colorectal Polyps
Most polyps do not cause symptoms. When they do, the most common symptom is bleeding from the rectum. A large polyp may cause cramps, abdominal pain, obstruction, or Intussusception (one segment of the intestine slides into another, much like the parts of a telescope). Large polyps with tiny fingerlike projections that can be seen only with a microscope (called villous adenomas) may excrete water and salts, causing excessive watery diarrhea that may result in low levels of potassium in the blood ( Occasionally, a rectal polyp on a long stalk drops down and dangles through the anus. 