Neurite outgrowth in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease

Diverticulosis is the presence of small, bulging pouches in the lining of the intestinal colonic mucosal and submucosal layers. This condition is usually asymptomatic. The few patients (25%) that do develop abdominal symptoms are diagnosed with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD). Up to now it is not clear which pathophysiological events trigger the transition from asymptomatic diverticulosis to SUDD. However, data from Barbaro and colleagues published in the current issue of Neurogastroenterology and Motility showed extensive axonal sprouting and increased macrophage infiltration in SUDD compared to asymptomatic diverticulosis patients. Thereby they provide more evidence suggesting that enteric neuro-plasticity, whether or not affected by infiltrating macrophages, may underlie the development of symptoms in diverticulosis.