An article in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology examines the distribution of colonic diverticula.
Here are four things to know:
1. The research team examined patients undergoing screening colonoscopy at the University of North Carolina Hospital, Chapel Hill, from 2013 through 2015.
2. They found that 42 percent of patients had one or more diverticula.
3. Those with diverticula were more likely to be older, male and have a higher body mass index than those without diverticula.
4. Older individuals not only have a higher prevalence of diverticula than younger individuals, but also a greater density, indicating that this is a progressive disease.