Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jul;14(7):980-985.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2016.01.020. Epub 2016 Feb 9.

Distribution and Characteristics of Colonic Diverticula in a United States Screening Population

Anne F Peery  1 , Tope O Keku  1 , Christopher F Martin  1 , Swathi Eluri  1 , Thomas Runge  1 , Joseph A Galanko  1 , Robert S Sandler  2
Affiliations

Distribution and Characteristics of Colonic Diverticula in a United States Screening Population

Anne F Peery et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

Background & aims: Colonic diverticula are the most common finding from colonoscopy examinations. Little is known about the distribution of colonic diverticula, which are responsible for symptomatic and costly diverticular disease. We aimed to assess the number, location, and characteristics of colonic diverticula in a large US screening population.

Methods: We analyzed data from a prospective study of 624 patients (mean age, 54 years) undergoing screening colonoscopy at the University of North Carolina Hospital from 2013 through 2015. The examination included a detailed assessment of colonic diverticula. To assess the association between participant characteristics and diverticula, we used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Of our population, 260 patients (42%) had 1 or more diverticula (mean number, 14; range, 1-158). Participants with diverticula were more likely to be older, male, and have a higher body mass index than those without diverticula. The distribution of diverticula differed significantly by race. Among white persons, 75% of diverticula were in the sigmoid colon, 11% in the descending splenic flexure, 6% in the transverse colon, and 8% were in the ascending colon or hepatic flexure. In black persons 64% of diverticula were in the sigmoid colon, 8% in the descending colon or splenic flexure, 7% in the transverse colon, and 20% in the ascending colon or hepatic flexure (P = .0008). The proportion of patients with diverticula increased with age: 35% were 50 years or younger, 40% were 51-60 years, and 58% were older than 60 years. The proportion of patients with more than 10 diverticula increased with age: 8% were 50 years or younger, 15% were 51-60 years, and 30% were older than 60 years.

Conclusions: Older individuals not only have a higher prevalence of diverticula than younger individuals, but also a greater density, indicating that this is a progressive disease. Black persons have a greater percentage of their diverticula in the proximal colon and fewer in the distal colon compared with white persons. Understanding the distribution and determinants of diverticula is the first step in preventing diverticulosis and its complications.

Keywords: BMI; Diverticular Disease; Obesity; Race.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Within-individual distributions of colonic diverticula among participants having diverticula
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of number of diverticula by age group
Figure 3
Figure 3
Age distribution of patients with one or more diverticula in each colonic location.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of all diverticula across study group, by location and sex
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Everhart JE, Ruhl CE. Burden of digestive diseases in the United States part II: lower gastrointestinal diseases. Gastroenterology. 2009;136(3):741–54. Epub 2009/01/27. - PubMed
    1. Brian West A. The pathology of diverticulosis: classical concepts and mucosal changes in diverticula. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2006;40(Suppl 3):S126–31. Epub 2006/08/04. - PubMed
    1. Jacobs DO. Clinical practice. Diverticulitis. The New England journal of medicine. 2007;357(20):2057–66. - PubMed
    1. Cohen E, Fuller G, Bolus R, et al. Increased risk for irritable bowel syndrome after acute diverticulitis. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. 2013;11(12):1614–9. Epub 2013/03/26. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Painter NS, Truelove SC, Ardran GM, et al. Segmentation and the Localization of Intraluminal Pressures in the Human Colon, with Special Reference to the Pathogenesis of Colonic Diverticula. Gastroenterology. 1965;49:169–77. Epub 1965/08/01. - PubMed