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Colonic diverticular disease

How common is colonic diverticular disease?

Diverticula are small pouches of tissue that bulge outward from your gut wall. They are most common in older people.

In the United States, doctors think that about:

10 in 100 people in their 40s have diverticula.
50 in 100 Americans in their 60s have diverticula.

Source:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Diverticulosis and diverticulitis.
October 2005. Available at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov (accessed on 26 September 2007).

¹

About 20 in 100 people who have diverticula get symptoms (when it's called diverticular disease).

Source:
Simpson J, Neal KR, Scholefield JH, et al.
Patterns of pain in diverticular disease and the influence of acute diverticulitis.
European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2003; 15: 1005-1010.

Diverticular disease has been called a "disease of Western civilization" because it's most common in the United States, Europe and Australia. It's almost unknown in parts of Africa and Asia.

Source:
Stollman NH, Raskin JB.
Diagnosis and management of diverticular disease of the colon in adults.
American Journal of Gastroenterology. 1999; 94: 3110-3121.

Source:
Painter NS, Burkett DP.
Diverticular disease of the colon: a 20th Century problem.
Clinical Gastroenterology. 1975; 4: 3-21.

⁴ This backs up the idea that diverticula have something to do with the Western diet, which tends to be low in

fibre
Fiber is all the parts of your diet that your body can't absorb. This is why foods that are high in fiber make you have more bowel movements. When your body can't absorb something, it leaves your body in your stools. Foods high in fiber include wholemeal bread and cereals, root vegetables and fruits.

fiber. Western vegetarians who eat lots of fiber are less likely to have diverticula than Western non-vegetarians.

Source:
Gear JS, Ware A, Fursdon P, et al.
Symptomless diverticular disease and intake of dietary fibre.
Lancet. 1979; 1: 511-514.

⁵

Sources for the information on this page:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diverticulosis and diverticulitis.October 2005. Available at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov (accessed on 26 September 2007).

Simpson J, Neal KR, Scholefield JH, et al.Patterns of pain in diverticular disease and the influence of acute diverticulitis.European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2003; 15: 1005-1010.

Stollman NH, Raskin JB.Diagnosis and management of diverticular disease of the colon in adults.American Journal of Gastroenterology. 1999; 94: 3110-3121.

Painter NS, Burkett DP.Diverticular disease of the colon: a 20th Century problem.Clinical Gastroenterology. 1975; 4: 3-21.

Gear JS, Ware A, Fursdon P, et al.Symptomless diverticular disease and intake of dietary fibre.Lancet. 1979; 1: 511-514.

This information was last updated on Nov 12, 2007

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