Signs and Symptoms
From early adolescence and onwards, patients with this condition develop hundreds to thousands of polyps. These may bleed, leading to blood in the stool. If the blood is not visible, it is still possible for the patient to develop anemia due to gradually developing iron deficiency. If malignancy develops, this may present with weight loss, altered bowel habit, or even metastasis to the liver or elsewhere.
The genetic determinant in familial polyposis may also predispose carriers to other malignancies, e.g., of the duodenum and stomach. Other signs that may point to FAP are pigmented lesions of the retina ("CHRPE - congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium"), jaw cysts, sebaceous cysts, and osteomata (benign bone tumors). The combination of polyposis, osteomas, fibromas and sebaceous cysts is termed Gardner's syndrome (with or without abnormal scarring).
Read more about this topic: Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
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