Prevalence of colonic diverticular disease in southern Iran

Five hundred fifty-six barium enema examinations performed in male and female patients (aged 20--70+ years) were studied retrospectively to estimate the prevalence of colonic diverticulosis in southern Iran. The frequency of diverticulosis in all subjects above the age of 20 years was 1.6 per cent, in persons above the age of 50 years, 2.4 per cent, and in persons below the age of 50 years, 1.2 per cent. This is in marked contrast to the high prevalence of the disease in Western countries, e.g., the 20 per cent overall prevalence in the United States. The high dietary fiber intake of the Iranian people may explain the rarity of the disease in Iran.