Prevalence and characteristics of colonic diverticulosis: a retrospective cross-sectional study in Southern China

Background Recent literature indicated that the prevalence of colonic diverticulosis in China is increasing. However, there is limited information on colonic diverticulosis in China. Our study aims to determine the prevalence and characteristics of colonic diverticulosis in Southern China. Methods Data of patients who underwent colonoscopy at Nanchang University’s first affiliation hospital between 2021 and 2023 were exported from a hospital endoscopic database. To assess the association between patients’ characteristics and diverticulosis, we used binary logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results A total of 66,373 of colonoscopy reports was exported from our endoscopy database. 55,830 eligible patients were included. 2867 individuals (5.1%) were identified with diverticulosis, which had a mean age of 53.3 years old were notably older and males predominant compared to those without diverticulosis. Diverticula were major located in right-sided colon especially in cecum and ascending colon. Females, over 70 years old, were significantly more susceptible than males to suffer from diverticulosis. Conclusion The prevalence of colonic diverticulosis was 5.1% in Southern China. Age and sex were found to be significant risk factors for colonic diverticulosis which were most frequently affect the right-sided colon. Women over 70 years of age are more prone to develop diverticulosis.