Burden of Diverticulosis and Diverticular Disease

The term “diverticular disease” (DD) covers a variety of conditions associated with the presence of colonic diverticula, herniations of the colonic mucosa through the muscular membrane and the clinical manifestations associated with their inflammation. DD represents one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases in the Western industrialized countries, and the prevalence tends to increase with increasing age, thus showing an increasing incidence in younger patients. Diverticulosis remains clinically asymptomatic in most patients during their lifetime, but up to 25% of them develop symptoms and up to a quarter experience at least one episode of acute diverticulitis (AD), an acute inflammatory process of diverticula with various complications (e.g., perforation, obstruction, fistula, etc.) described in 15–20% of cases. AD incidence has been increasing in the last few decades, representing one of the main reasons for hospitalization for DD patients and consequently one of the factors that most impact the disease burden. The Global Burden of Disease in 2019 assessed DD as the leading cause of death in the group “other digestive diseases”, which includes various codes of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth Revision (ICD-10). Despite the significant epidemiological burden and the consequent impact on health services of this condition, there are no major studies in European countries that evaluate its impact.