Prevalence of colonic diverticulosis in general population of Oxford area.

Abstract

SummaryThe transit times of food residues through the gastrointestinal tract have been studied by administering food mixed with a small amount of barium sulphate. Observations were made on 88 normal subjects, 75 patients with the irritable colon syndrome, and 43 patients with diverticulosis. The transit times were found to be substantially shorter in the patients with diverticula than in normal subjects and to follow closely the transit shown by patients with the irritable colon syndrome. This finding is put forward as evidence supporting the hypothesis that incoordinated colonic activity is the basic abnormality in diverticulosis.We wish to express our gratitude to all the patients and normal subjects who volunteered to take part in this study, the Beer, E. (1904). Amer. 7. med. Sci., 128, 135. Burnett, F. L. (1923). Amer. 7. Roentgenol., 10, 599. Cole, L. G. (1914). Ainer. Y. med. Sci., 148, 92. Edwards, H. C. (1939 It has been generally accepted that diverticulosis of the colon is a common condition in Western countries, especially in the older age groups (Barborka, 1958; Reichman and Watkins, 1962). However, up to the present time the frequcncy of diverticulosis has been calculated from radiological studies carried out on patients or from post-mortem examinations in hospital, and consequently the results apply only to selected sections of the population. Spriggs and Marxer (1925) examined 1,000 consecutive barium enemas and found diverticula in 10%. Rankin and Brown (1930) Until some years ago diverticula were more common in men than in women (Spriggs and Marxer, 1925;Ochsner and Bargen, 1935); recently, however, it appears that a change in sex ratio is taking place and a female preponderance is now commonly observed (Ford, 1953;Brown and Toomey, 1960). Table I shows the sex ratio in diverticulosis and diverticulitis reported by various authors. In a recent study on the prognosis of diverticulosis and diverticulitis (Manousos and Truelove, 1967) it was found that whereas below the age of 60 diverticula were equally common in men and women, above that age the condition was much more common in women. It was also shown that the number of patients admitted to hospital with diverticulosis, diverticulitis, and the complications of diverticular disease is increasing, and this probably indicates a true increase in the prevalence of the disease as a whole.In view of the lack of accurate information on the frequency of diverticulosis in the population at large the present study was made. f Consultant Radiologist, United Oxford Hospitals, Oxford. Methods and SubjectsThe radiological appearances of the colon of 109 subjects without gastrointestinal symptoms were studied. The majority of the subjects were healthv volunteers who were either members of the staff of the Radcliffe Infirmary or visitors to inpatients. A minority of the subjects were patients in a geriatric unit (Cowley Road Hospital, Oxford) who were volunteers and who were completely free from gastrointestinal symptoms.

Failure to Use Ultrasound Is a Glaring Shortcoming

“…Die Prävalenz der Divertikulose liegt zwischen 28-45% in der Gesamtbevölkerung und über 60% bei den über 70jährigen [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Trotz der immensen Bedeutung des Krankheitsbildes hat es in der medizinischen Wahrnehmung im Vergleich zu anderen Krankheitsbildern bislang ein relatives Schattendasein geführt mit nur übersichtlicher Anzahl von randomisierten Therapiestudien und nur vergleichsweise wenigen Arbeiten zur Pathogenese der Erkrankung.…”

“…Die Prävalenz der Divertikulose wird in Studien mit verschiedenen Methoden (Endoskopie, Barium Kontrasteinlauf, Autopsie) zwischen 28 % (Screening Koloskopien; [1] (6) und 45% (Barium Kontrasteinläufen, [2][3][4][5] bis 60% bei über 70 Jährigen (Autopsiestudien [6] angegeben. Die Prävalenz der Divertikelkrankheit steigt mit dem Lebensalter an (z.B.…”

A felső és alsó endoszkópiák indikációja, a diagnózisok megoszlása és minőségi mutatók 2010–2011-ben a Semmelweis Egyetem I. Belgyógyászati Klinikáján

“…Az általunk megfigyelt 6,9%-os előfordulási gyakoriság igen magasnak tekinthető, azonban megfelel más, hasonlóan idős, polimorbid betegeket nem kizáró betegpopulációjú vizsgálatok adatainak [40,41]. A diverticulosis prevalenciája 40 éves kor alatt 5%, 60 év feletti korcsoportban azonban már meghaladja a 30%-ot [42,43]. Vizsgálatunkban 22,4%-ban fordult elő diverticulosis.…”

“…A leggyakoribb diagnózisok a vastagbélpolip és a vastagbél-diverticulosis voltak. Ezen laesiók találati ará-nyában nem volt különbség a vérző és nem vérző betegpopuláció között, és a gyakoriságok megfelelnek a korábban említett irodalmi adatoknak [35,36,42,43]. Bár a diverticulumokból eredő vérzés az akut alsó GI-vérzé-sek leggyakoribb oka (24-47%), a diverticulumok csak igen csekély hányadából származik vérzés [47,48].…”

Changing Epidemiology: Does It Increase Our Understanding?

“…Two studies detailing the occurrence of diverticulosis in asymptomatic volunteers from Oxford reported an increasing prevalence with age with a prevalence of 34.9% in those over the age of 60 years [6,7]. These studies are unlikely to be repeated and give the best estimate of diverticulosis prevalence to date.…”