Clinical Characteristics of Colonic Diverticular Disease Diagnosed with Colonoscopy

Background/Aims: Although colonic diverticular disease is less common in Koreans than in Western people, its incidence has been on the increase in Korea. We investigated the clinical characteristics and related complications of colonic diverticular disease in Koreans. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 9,006 patients who underwent colonoscopy at the Seoul Paik hospital between July 2002 and January 2008. Results: Of the 9,006 patients, there were 654 cases (7.3%) of colonic diverticulosis (472 men, 182 women). The mean age of the patients was 54.6 +/- 12.0 years. The right colon was involved in 535 cases, the left colon was involved in 86 cases and both the left and right colon was involved in 33 cases. Among the patients, a single diverticulum was seen in 253 cases and two or more diverticuli were seen in 401 cases. Related complications were diverticulitis (11 cases, 1.7%) and diverticular bleeding (3 cases, 0.5%). Conclusions: The incidence of colonic diverticular disease in Korea shows an increasing trend. Colonic diverticular lesions are frequently found in the right colon.