Diverticulitis epidemiology and demographics

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2] James Nasr[3]

Overview

The lifetime risk of diverticulitis among individuals with diverticulosis is approximately 1% to 4%.[1][2] The highest incidence is in patients older than 60. Men are more commonly affected before age 50, while females are more commonly affected after age 50. The prevalence of diverticulitis has increased in developed countries.[3] In the United States, approximately 200,000 cases are admitted to the hospitals annually.[4] In Japan, more cases of right side diverticulitis have been reported than cases of left side diverticulitis.

Epidemiology and Demographics

Prevalence

The prevalence of diverticulitis is well below 1% at age 40 and between 0.4% and 2% at age 60. [5]

Age

  • The prevalence of diverticulitis increases with age.
  • The mean age at admission for acute diverticulitis is 63 years.[6]

Gender

  • Men under 50 are more often affected by diverticulitis than women of the same age.
  • Men are more commonly affected before age 50, while females are more commonly affected after age 50. [3]

Race

  • There is no racial predilection for diverticulitis.

Developed countries

  • The prevalence and incidence of diverticulitis have significantly increased in developed countries that consume a lot of Westernized food that is poor in fiber.
  • In the United States, about 200,000 cases of diverticulitis are admitted to hospitals annually.[4]
  • In Japan, there has been an increase in the prevalence of right-sided diverticulosis similar to the increase in left-sided diverticula in Westernized countries.[7][8]

References

  1. Stollman N, Smalley W, Hirano I; AGA Institute Clinical Guidelines Committee. American Gastroenterological Association Institute guideline on the management of acute diverticulitis. Gastroenterology. 2015;149(7):1944-1949. doi:10. 1053/j.gastro.2015.10.003
  2. Shahedi K, Fuller G, Bolus R, Cohen E, Vu M, Shah R, Agarwal N, Kaneshiro M, Atia M, Sheen V, Kurzbard N, van Oijen MG, Yen L, Hodgkins P, Erder MH, Spiegel B. Long-term risk of acute diverticulitis among patients with incidental diverticulosis found during colonoscopy. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013 Dec;11(12):1609-13. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2013.06.020. Epub 2013 Jul 12. PMID: 23856358; PMCID: PMC5731451.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Long B, Werner J, Gottlieb M. Emergency medicine updates: Acute diverticulitis. Am J Emerg Med. 2024;76:1-6. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2023.10.051.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Peery AF, Wilson GC, Crockett SD. Diverticulitis: A Review. JAMA. 2025;333(2):158-168. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.23427.
  5. Brown RF, Lopez K, Smith CB, Charles A. Diverticulitis: A Review. JAMA. Published online July 24, 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.10234
  6. Peery AF, Barrett PR, Park D, Rogers AJ, Galanko JA, Martin CF; et al. (2012). "A high-fiber diet does not protect against asymptomatic diverticulosis". Gastroenterology. 142 (2): 266–72.e1. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.10.035. PMC 3724216. PMID 22062360.
  7. Sugihara K, Muto T, Morioka Y, Asano A, Yamamoto T (1984). "Diverticular disease of the colon in Japan. A review of 615 cases". Dis Colon Rectum. 27 (8): 531–7. PMID 6468190.
  8. Miura S, Kodaira S, Shatari T, Nishioka M, Hosoda Y, Hisa TK (2000). "Recent trends in diverticulosis of the right colon in Japan: retrospective review in a regional hospital". Dis Colon Rectum. 43 (10): 1383–9. PMID 11052515.

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