Risk factors for endoscopic severity of diverticular disease of the colon and its outcome: a real-life case-control study

Prevalence and Natural History of Segmental Colitis Associated With Diverticulosis

INTRODUCTION

We assessed the prevalence and clinical outcomes of segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis (SCAD) in patients with newly diagnosed diverticulosis.

METHODS

A 3-year international, multicenter, prospective cohort study was conducted involving 2,215 patients.

RESULTS

SCAD diagnosis was posed in 44 patients (30 male patients; median age: 64.5 years; prevalence of 1.99%, 95% confidence interval, 1.45%-2.66%). Patients with SCAD types D and B showed worse symptoms, higher fecal calprotectin values, needed more steroids, and reached less likely complete remission.

DISCUSSION

Although SCAD generally had a benign outcome, types B and D were associated with more severe symptoms and worse clinical course.

Diverticulosis and cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND

There is a hypothesis of an association between diverticulosis and metabolic syndrome (MS) or its components, but data on this topic are inconsistent, and a systematic review has not been performed. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the possible association between cardiometabolic risk factors and diverticulosis.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted via PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science in December 2022 to collect the necessary data. Studies that examined the association between MS or individual metabolic factors and asymptomatic diverticulosis were included in the review.

RESULTS

Of the potentially relevant articles identified via PubMed (477), Cochrane Library (224), and Web of Science (296), 29 articles met the inclusion criteria and were used for this work. These studies were assessed for study quality using GRADE. Overall, 6 studies were rated as "very low," 19 studies as "low," and 4 studies as "moderate." The data suggest an association between arterial hypertension, obesity, and fatty liver disease in younger patients and diverticulosis. Patient age appears to play an important role in diverticular formation. Data on diabetes mellitus is inconclusive and may require further investigation depending on the location of the diverticula.

CONCLUSION

Based on the synthesized data, there is an association between arterial hypertension, obesity, and fatty liver disease in younger patients. The formation of diverticula seems to be influenced by age and genetic factors. The study suggests a connection with cardiometabolic risk factors. To gain a better understanding of the role of metabolic risk factors in asymptomatic diverticulosis, targeted studies are necessary based on these findings.

When to Perform a Colonoscopy in Diverticular Disease and Why: A Personalized Approach

Colonoscopy is a crucial diagnostic tool in managing diverticular disease (DD). Diverticulosis can often be an unexpected diagnosis when colonoscopy is performed in asymptomatic subjects, generally for colorectal cancer screening, or it could reveal an endoscopic picture compatible with DD, including acute diverticulitis, in patients suffering from abdominal pain or rectal bleeding. However, alongside its role in the differential diagnosis of colonic diseases, particularly with colon cancer after an episode of acute diverticulitis or segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, the most promising use of colonoscopy in patients with DD is represented by its prognostic role when the DICA (Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment) classification is applied. Finally, colonoscopy plays a crucial role in managing diverticular bleeding, and it could sometimes be used to resolve other complications, particularly as a bridge to surgery. This article aims to summarize “when” to safely perform a colonoscopy in the different DD settings and “why”.

Prognostic performance of the 'DICA' endoscopic classification and the 'CODA' score in predicting clinical outcomes of diverticular disease: an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the predictive value of the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) classification and to develop and validate a combined endoscopic-clinical score predicting clinical outcomes of diverticulosis, named Combined Overview on Diverticular Assessment (CODA).

DESIGN

A multicentre, prospective, international cohort study.

SETTING

43 gastroenterology and endoscopy centres located in Europe and South America.

PARTICIPANTS

2215 patients (2198 completing the study) at the first diagnosis of diverticulosis/diverticular disease were enrolled. Patients were scored according to DICA classifications.

INTERVENTIONS

A 3-year follow-up was performed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

To predict the acute diverticulitis and the surgery according to DICA classification. Survival methods for censored observation were used to develop and validate a novel combined endoscopic-clinical score for predicting diverticulitis and surgery (CODA score).

RESULTS

The 3-year cumulative probability of diverticulitis and surgery was of 3.3% (95% CI 2.5% to 4.5%) in DICA 1, 11.6% (95% CI 9.2% to 14.5%) in DICA 2 and 22.0% (95% CI 17.2% to 28.0%) in DICA 3 (p<0.001), and 0.15% (95% CI 0.04% to 0.59%) in DICA 1, 3.0% (95% CI 1.9% to 4.7%) in DICA 2 and 11.0% (95% CI 7.5% to 16.0%) in DICA 3 (p<0.001), respectively. The 3-year cumulative probability of diverticulitis and surgery was ≤4%, and ≤0.7% in CODA A; <10% and <2.5% in CODA B; >10% and >2.5% in CODA C, respectively. The CODA score showed optimal discrimination capacity in predicting the risk of surgery in the development (c-statistic: 0.829; 95% CI 0.811 to 0.846) and validation cohort (c-statistic: 0.943; 95% CI 0.905 to 0.981).

CONCLUSIONS

DICA classification has a significant role in predicting the risk of diverticulitis and surgery in patients with diverticulosis, which is significantly enhanced by the CODA score.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02758860.

Type 2 diabetes and risk of diverticular disease: a Danish cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between type 2 diabetes and risk of diverticular disease. Unlike previous studies, which have found conflicting results, we aimed to distinguish between diabetes types and adjust for modifiable risk factors.

DESIGN

Observational cohort study.

SETTING

Population-based Danish medical databases, covering the period 2005-2018.

PARTICIPANTS

Respondents of the 2010 or the 2013 Danish National Health Survey, of which there were 15 047 patients with type 2 diabetes and 210 606 patients without diabetes.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Hazard ratios (HRs) for incident hospital diagnosis of diverticular disease adjusted for survey year, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity intensity, smoking behaviour, diet and education based on Cox regression analysis. As latency may affect the association between type 2 diabetes and diverticular disease, patients with type 2 diabetes were stratified into those with <2.5, 2.5-4.9 and ≥5 years duration of diabetes prior to cohort entry.

RESULTS

For patients with and without diabetes the incidence rates of diverticular disease were 0.76 and 0.54 events per 1000 person years, corresponding to a crude HR of 1.08 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.16) and an adjusted HR of 0.88 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.96). The HR was lower among patients with ≥5 years duration of diabetes (adjusted HR: 0.76, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.87) than among those with 2.5-4.9 years or <2.5 years duration.

CONCLUSION

We found that patients with type 2 diabetes had a higher incidence rate of diverticular disease compared with patients without diabetes. However, after adjustment for modifiable risk factors, driven by BMI, type 2 diabetes appeared to be associated with a slightly lower risk of diverticular disease. Lack of adjustment for BMI may partially explain the conflicting findings of previous studies.

Essential updates 2020/2021: Colorectal diseases (benign)—Current topics in the surgical and medical treatment of benign colorectal diseases

The development of new drugs for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is remarkable, and treatment strategies using multiple agents and various techniques are required; however, the treatment strategy is likely to be complex. Therefore, appropriate evaluation of traditional surgical treatment strategies and accurate knowledge of the efficacy and limitations of novel treatments are required. Total infectious complications were found to be associated with the use of corticosteroids and anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐α agents, but not with immunomodulators, anti‐integrin agents, and 5‐aminosalicylic acid. Regarding surgical procedures for IBD, conceived anastomosis methods, including Kono‐S for Crohn's disease stenosis, are associated with better outcomes than conventional techniques. Autologous cell transplantation for Crohn's fistulae has been shown to have a favorable outcome. Diverticulitis is increasing and will be treated more frequently in the future. Risk factors for the incidence of diverticulitis and differences in pathogenesis according to right or left side diverticulitis have been reported. Antibiotic therapy may be omitted for uncomplicated diverticulitis. Moreover, regarding surgical procedures, both bowel resection and anastomosis are associated with favorable short‐term outcomes, higher stoma closure rate, and superior medical economy compared to Hartmann's procedure. Risk factors for recurrence after diverticulitis surgery may provide better postoperative follow‐up. In this review, we explore the current topics of colorectal benign diseases, focusing on IBD and diverticulitis, based on clinical trials and meta‐analyses from 2020‐2021. This review consolidates the available knowledge and improves the quality of surgical procedures and perioperative management for IBD and diverticulitis.

Development and Validation of Predictive Assessment of Complicated Diverticulitis Score

The prevalence of acute diverticulitis (AD) has progressively increased in recent decades, with correspondingly greater morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study is to develop a predictive score to identify patients with the highest risk of complicated AD. The clinical records of 1089 patients referred to the emergency department (ED) over a five-year period were reviewed. In multivariate analysis, male sex (p < 0.001), constipation (p = 0.002), hemoglobin < 11.9 g/dL (p < 0.001), C reactive protein > 80 mg/L (p < 0.001), severe obesity (p = 0.049), and no proton pump inhibitor treatment (p = 0.003) were independently associated with complicated AD. The predictive assessment of complicated (PACO)-diverticulitis (D) score, including these six variables, was applied to the retrospective cohort and then validated prospectively in a cohort including 282 patients. It categorized patients into three risk classes for complicated AD. The PACO-D score showed fair discrimination for complicated AD with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.674 and 0.648, in the retrospective and prospective cohorts, respectively. The PACO-D score could be a practical clinical tool to identify patients at highest risk for complicated AD referred to the ED so that appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic resources could be appropriately allocated. Further external validation is needed to confirm these results.

Proton Pump Inhibitor Use May Increase the Risk of Diverticulitis but Not It's Severity among Patients with Colonic Diverticulosis: A Multicenter Study

Colonic diverticular disease, especially diverticulitis constitutes a major cause of hospitalization and an economic burden in developed countries. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the commonest drugs used to treat several diseases affecting the upper gastrointestinal tract. A few studies have reported that the use of Proton Pump Inhibitors PPIs caused dysbiosis. In this study, we searched for a relationship between PPI use and the onset and severity of diverticulitis in patients with colonic diverticulosis. In a retrospective study, patients who were hospitalized for documented diverticulitis were enrolled as cases and compared with a control group of patients with uncomplicated diverticulosis. Overall, 613 patients who had a diagnosis of diverticulosis were included in the study, 217 of whom had diverticulitis. After multivariate analysis, the non-modifiable risk factors associated with diverticulitis included: age (p < 0.0001), hypertension (p < 0.0001), chronic renal failure (p = 0.007), diabetes mellitus (p < 0.0001), and left colon location (p = 0.02). However, among the modifiable factors, only PPI use (p < 0.0001) showed a significant association. Advanced disease severity (according to Hinchey classification of diverticulitis stages II–IV) was associated with aspirin use (p = 0.0004) and pan-colonic location (p = 0.02). PPI use was the only modifiable factor significantly associated with diverticulitis, but not with its severity, among patients with diverticulosis. This observation should be confirmed in future multicenter prospective studies.