The burden of diverticular disease on patients and healthcare systems

Diverticulitis is a debilitating complication of diverticular disease that affects approximately 2.5 million individuals in the United States. Compared to many other gastrointestinal conditions, diverticular disease is poorly understood in terms of its burden on patients and healthcare systems. This review examines the existing literature and discusses the current knowledge of the burden of diverticular disease. Literature confirmed that bothersome symptoms (such as abdominal pain and bloating) and potentially serious, disease-related complications (such as diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding) place a significant burden on patients. Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and surgery are the generally accepted mainstays of treatment for acute complications of diverticular disease. Despite these options, patients frequently experience substantially reduced quality of life (particularly in terms of social and emotional functioning) and increased mortality (predominantly due to disease-related complications) compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, diverticular disease accounted for 254,179 inpatient discharges and 1,493,865 outpatient clinic visits in the United States in 2002, at an estimated cost per hospitalization of $9,742-$11,729. Enhancing the quality of life of patients with diverticular disease and reducing disease exacerbations and complications will substantially benefit patients and healthcare systems. However, long-established treatment algorithms fall short of these therapeutic goals. Research into new treatment options for patients with diverticular disease should therefore be pursued.