The diagnostic challenge of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease.

The diagnostic challenge of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 2017 Jan 12;: Authors: Cremon C, Bellacosa L, Barbaro MR, Cogliandro RF, Stanghellini V, Barbara G Abstract Colonic diverticulosis is a common condition in Western industrialized countries occurring in up to 65% of people over the age of 60 years. Only a minority of these subjects (about 10- 25%) experience symptoms, fulfilling Rome criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) diagnosis (IBS-like symptoms) in 10 to 66% of cases. Symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) is a syndrome characterized by recurrent abdominal symptoms attributed to diverticula in the absence of macroscopically evident alterations other than the presence of diverticula. Due to the different peak of incidence, the overlap between SUDD and IBS is predominantly present in middle-aged or older patients. In these cases, it is very complex to establish if the symptoms are related to the presence of diverticula or due to an overlapping IBS. In fact, the link between gastrointestinal symptoms and diverticula is unclear, and the mechanism by which diverticula may induce the develop of IBS-like symptoms remains to be elucidated. Currently, the aetiology and pathophysiology of SUDD, particularly when IBS-like symptoms are present, are not completely understood, and thus these two entities remain a diagnostic challenge not only for the general practition...
Source: Minerva Gastroenterologica e Dietologica - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol Source Type: research