Colon cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States. With an increasing number of patients diagnosed at younger ages, the disease remains a significant burden. However, recent data on early onset patients admitted with colon cancer are still limited. We utilized the 2016 to 2021 National Inpatient Sample to investigate trends and characteristics of colon cancer hospitalizations. Nonelective participants were divided into early onset and normal-age groups, with a cut point of 50 years old. In addition, we also investigated factors associated with the risk of inpatient mortality in the study population. There were 26,903 early onset nonelective colon cancer hospitalizations in the population group, amounting to 11.91% of total colon cancer hospitalizations. No significant changes or trends were seen from 2016 to 2021. Compared to the normal-age population group, there was a disproportionate number of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asian Americans, as well as those with obesity and tobacco usage. Some demographic factors and comorbidities disproportionately affect early onset colon cancer patients when compared to the normal-age population group. Further investigations are necessary to combat the growing incidence of early onset colon cancer.

Thanathip Suenghataiphorn, Narathorn Kulthamrongsri, Pojsakorn Danpanichkul, Sakditad Saowapa, Natchaya Polpichai and Jerapas Thongpiya. Korean J Gastroenterol 2024;84:17-23. https://doi.org/10.4166/kjg.2024.057

Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints in the United States, and multiple interventions and behavioral changes are often required to alleviate it. Vegetables are often one of the diet recommendations for constipated patients, but the amount required for constipation impact is still limited. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study with the 2006 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Patients >20 years old were stratified into four quartiles of vegetable intake. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine the association between vegetable intake and constipation status as recorded in the database. A total of 13,832 patients were included in the study. The average age was 50.5 years; 49.6% of the population was Caucasian, and 26.43% were Hispanic. In the population, 9.93% had constipation, and 92.65% had vegetable consumption. After adjusting for multiple factors, patients with larger vegetable consumption had lower odds of constipation (adjusted odds ratio 0.60; 95% confidence interval 0.49, 0.73; P < 0.001) when compared to the first quartile. Postpropensity score matching revealed similar statistical significance. A larger amount of vegetable intake is associated with lower odds of constipation. Additional investigations on vegetable subtype, as well as the longitudinal relationship, are required to understand this relationship.