Colonic diverticulitis in adolescents: an index case and associated syndromes

Diverticular disease of the colon, a common problem among adults, is diagnosed rarely in children. We report an adolescent patient with sigmoid diverticulitis who required operative treatment. Pediatric patients with the complications of diverticula typically have conditions that result in genetic alterations affecting the components of the colonic wall. Our patient had Williams-Beuren syndrome, although Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and cystic fibrosis may also be associated with colonic diverticula in adolescence. Pediatric patients with these disorders who experience abdominal pain should be evaluated for the presence of colonic diverticular complications.