Patients with Diverticular Disease Have Different Dietary Habits Compared to Control Subjects: Results from an Observational Italian Study

The role of dietary habits as risk factor for the development of diverticular complications has strongly emerged in the last years. We aimed to evaluate possible differences in dietary habits between patients with diverticular disease (DD) and matched controls without diverticula. Dietary habits were obtained from standardized food frequency questionnaires collected at entry to the Diverticular Disease Registry (REMAD). We compared controls (C) (n = 119) with asymptomatic diverticulosis (D) (n = 344), symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) (n = 154) and previous diverticulitis (PD) (n = 83) patients, in terms of daily calories, macro and micronutrients and dietary vitamins. Daily kcal intake and lipids, both saturated and unsaturated, were significantly lower in patients with DD than C. Total protein consumption was lower in PD than D, with differing consumption of unprocessed red meat, white meat and eggs between groups. Consumption of fibre, both soluble and insoluble, was lower in patients with PD compared to patients with SUDD, D and C, whereas dietary vitamins A, C, D and E and Oxygen Radical Adsorbance Capacity index were lower in all DD groups compared to C. This observational study showed that DD patients have different dietary habits, mainly in terms of caloric, fat, fibre and vitamin intake, compared to control subjects

Distinguishing features between patients with acute diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding: Results from the REMAD registry

Background: Pathogenesis of acute diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding remains poorly defined, and few data compare directly risk factors for these complications. Aims: to assess differences in clinical features, lifestyles factors and concurrent drug use in patients with acute diverticulitis and those with diverticular bleeding. Methods: Data were obtained from the REMAD Registry, an ongoing 5-year prospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study conducted on 1,217 patients. Patient- and clinical- related factors were compared among patients with uncomplicated diverticular disease, patients with previous acute diverticulitis, and patients with previous diverticular bleeding. Results: Age was significantly lower (OR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.34-0.67) and family history of diverticular disease was significantly higher (OR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.11-2.31) in patients with previous diverticulitis than in patients with uncomplicated diverticular disease, respectively. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was significantly higher in patients with previous diverticular bleeding as compared with both uncomplicated diverticular disease (OR 8.37, 95% CI: 2.60-27.0) and diverticulitis (OR 4.23, 95% CI: 1.11-16.1). Conclusion: This ancillary study from a nationwide Registry showed that some distinctive features identify patients with acute diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding. These information might improve the assessment of risk factors for diverticular complications