title: [Clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of colonic diverticulitis in young patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The clinical course and the most appropriate management of colonic diverticulitis in young patients are currently unresolved. This retrospective study was designed to compare young patients (≤40 years) with older patients (>40 years) regarding clinical characteristics of acute colonic diverticulitis and to determine whether differences exist in treatment outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three-hundred sixty eight patients presenting with acute colonic diverticulitis from March 2001 through April 2011 at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The differences in clinical characteristics, treatment modality and recurrence between each group were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-hundred and six patients were aged 40 years or younger and 162 patients were older than 40 years. The older group was diagnosed more frequently with severe diverticulitis. Surgical treatment was significantly more frequent in the older group than in the younger group (15.4% vs. 4.4%, p<0.001). No significant difference was found in preatment modality between the two groups in patients with recurrence. The difference in recurrence between groups was not statistically significant. In multivariate analysis, left colonic diverticulitis was significantly associated with severe diverticulitis (OR, 14.651; 95% CI, 4.829-44.457) and emergency surgery (OR, 13.745; 95% CI, 4.390-43.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When patients with colonic diverticulitis are treated conservatively, young age is no longer an independent risk factor for subsequent poor outcome. Diverticulitis in young patients does not have a particularly aggressive or fulminant course. Therefore, we recommend that diverticulitis management should be based on the severity and location of the disease, and not on the age of the patient.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Myung Eun
authors: ME
authors: Song
authors: Sung-Ae
authors: SA
authors: Jung
authors: Ki-Nam
authors: KN
authors: Shim
authors: Eun Mi
authors: EM
authors: Song
authors: Kyoung Joo
authors: KJ
authors: Kwon
authors: Hye In
authors: HI
authors: Kim
authors: So Yoon
authors: SY
authors: Yoon
authors: Won Young
authors: WY
authors: Cho
authors: Seong-Eun
authors: SE
authors: Kim
authors: Hye-Kyung
authors: HK
authors: Jung
authors: Il Hwan
authors: IH
authors: Moon
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004239:Diverticulitis, Colonic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome