Acute diverticulitis requiring hospitalization according to regional discrepancies in France between 2013 and 2022: a nationwide study.

Purpose: The prevention of colon diverticulitis tends to be tailored according to the patients. In order to improve the public health policy to prevent diverticulitis, the influence of regional parameters at a department scale has to be assessed.

Objective: This analysis aimed to assess the occurrence of acute diverticulitis in France in general and according to environmental factors suspected to affect such diseases.

Methods: All patients above 18 years old admitted to a general hospital with a diverticulitis diagnosis between 2013 and 2022 in France were included. Data were extracted from the French national hospital discharge database. The primary outcome was the occurrence of diverticulitis according to French territories and known risk factors.

Results: In this nationwide cohort study, the 10-years cumulative occurrence of diverticulitis in France was 3.45% (n = 2 0.248.099 patients). Diverticulitis was influenced by older age and male gender but was not significantly associated with ecological parameters (obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking or economic discrepancies) at a departmental scale. Of all patients diagnosed with diverticulitis, 5% had at least one surgical intervention. The surgical management of diverticulitis was associated with an increased number of surgeons in the department, even after adjustment for age and sex.

Conclusions: Except for smoking, the frequency of diverticulitis requiring an hospitalization was independent of regional parameters (nor alcohol intake, nor obesity nor the economic discrepancies).