The 5-year natural history of complicated diverticular disease

The natural history of complicated diverticular disease based on details of 300 patients entered into a national audit between 1985 and 1988 is reported. Questionnaires were sent to the general practitioners of 176 patients with this condition 5 years after hospital admission; 120 responded. Of these 120 patients, ten died from recurrent complicated diverticular disease, 29 died from other disorders and 81 remain alive. Forty of 110 patients (excluding those who died from recurrence) are still symptomatic or were so at the time of unrelated death. Thirty-nine patients developed a severe complication after the index admission, 14 of whom had the same complication initially. Of the 77 patients who had initially been managed by sigmoid resection, only two developed recurrent complications compared with 37 of 43 managed conservatively. Of the ten patients who died from recurrent diverticular disease, nine had not undergone sigmoid colectomy at or after the original admission. These data argue for interval sigmoid colectomy in most patients who initially present to hospital with complicated diverticular disease to prevent later development of potentially lethal complications.