Relationship between disease location and age, obesity, and complications in Korean patients with acute diverticulitis: a comparison of clinical patterns with those of Western populations.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the clinical characteristics of acute diverticulitis in Korean patients with respect to the relationship between disease location and age, obesity, and complications.


METHODS
The medical records of patients with acute diverticulitis who were treated at Severance Hospital in Korea between January 2000 and December 2006 were retrospectively analyzed.


RESULTS
A total of 70 patients were enrolled. Out of these, 53 (75.7%) cases of diverticulitis occurred in the right side of the colon and 17 cases (24.3%) in the left side of the colon. The mean age of patients with right-sided diverticulitis was significantly lower than that of patients with left-sided (p<0.01). Right-sided diverticulitis was more common than left-sided diverticulitis in obese patients (p<0.05); however, the overall complication rate was higher in left-sided than in right-sided diverticulitis (p<0.05). By multivariate analysis, age <40 years (p=0.025), body mass index > or =25kg/m2 (p=0.045), and abdominal rebound tenderness (p=0.011) were risk factors for acute right-sided rather than left-sided diverticulitis.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that acute colonic diverticulitis was more prevalent in the right side of the colon than the left side in Korean patients. Moreover, patients with right-sided diverticulitis were significantly younger, more obese, and had lower complication rates.
Kim
Jae Hak
JH
Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Cheon
Jae Hee
JH
Park
Sooyoung
S
Kim
Byung Chang
BC
Lee
Sang Kil
SK
Kim
Tae Il
TI
Kim
Won Ho
WH
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004239:Diverticulitis, Colonic / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019366:Western World