Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40091500›Full record

ArticleJournal of gastroenterology and hepatology2025

Colonic Diverticulosis and Uncomplicated Diverticulitis Are Associated With a Lower Not Higher Risk of Mortality When Confounding Factors Are Held Constant.

Raquel A Cameron, Michael P Jones, Guy D Eslick, Nicholas J Talley

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Raquel A CameronCollege of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2262-4995
Michael P JonesNHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Digestive Health, Newcastle, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8377-5383
Guy D EslickNHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Digestive Health, Newcastle, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0098-1705
Nicholas J TalleyCollege of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2537-3092

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimThe association between colonic diverticulosis, diverticulitis, and mortality is controversial. This study evaluated the association between diverticular disease and mortality over a prolonged period in a GP cohort.

methodsGP records were sourced from the United Kingdom medical database (THIN). Diverticulosis and diverticulitis were identified via Read codes. The overall patient cohort (n = 1 274 260) included patients with colonic diverticula (n = 39 521 [3.1%], mean age 54) and no diverticula (control group) (n = 1 234 739 [96.9%], mean age 38). Poisson regression estimated relative rates, and durational time at risk and survival probability were calculated.

resultsColonic diverticula are associated with an increased mortality risk when compared with nondiverticular patients (OR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.84-1.94; p < 0.001). However, controlling for age, sex, and potential confounding variables yielded a decreased mortality risk overall for colonic diverticula patients (HR = 0.66, 95% 0.64-0.6; p < 0.001). When the diverticulitis cohort is separated into uncomplicated and complicated, increased mortality is observed in both uncomplicated diverticulitis (HR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.61-0.66; p < 0.001) and complicated diverticulitis (HR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.28; p = 0.024), but on controlling for confounding, there is a decreased risk of mortality for uncomplicated diverticulitis (HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.63-0.66; p < 0.001) but almost two times increased mortality risk for complicated diverticulitis (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.05-1.32; p = 0.006).

conclusionsIn this large UK GP sample, controlling for age, sex, and comorbidities, patients with uncomplicated diverticula are associated with a lower mortality risk. However, complicated diverticulitis still carries two times the risk of mortality than those with no or uncomplicated colonic diverticula.

Indexed as

Diverticulitis, ColonicDiverticulosis, ColonicAdultAgedCohort StudiesConfounding Factors, EpidemiologicFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsTime FactorsUnited Kingdomcolondiverticular diseasediverticulitisdiverticulosisgastroenterologymortality

Identifiers

PMID40091500
PMCPMC12062918

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.