ABSTRACT
Objective: To report the prevalence, clinical differences and complications of right-sided diverticulosis [RD] and to investigate the potential disparities from left-sided diverticulosis [LD] in the Vietnamese population
Subjects and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using medical records of Vietnamese-born patients from 2000 to 2013 in a community teaching hospital in Boston, Mass., USA. By simple randomization, a randomized control group of 299 Caucasian patients was also selected from the same time frame [167 males [M] and 132 females [F]]. Colonoscopy reports were reviewed for demographics [age and gender], indication and anatomical location of the colonic diverticulosis [CD], concomitant colonic findings, symptoms, and endoscopic complications
Results: A total of 207 patients were included in the Vietnamese cohort [mean age 61.6 +/- 8.9 years]. The mean age at first screening colonoscopy was 58.2 +/- 7.2 years [114 F/92 M, 55.7/44.4%]. Our study identified 104 [50.5%] patients with LD [57 M/47 F], 65 [31.1%] with RD [35 M/30 F] and 38 [18.4%] with both LD and RD [23 M/15 F]; 133 [64%] were asymptomatic. A total of 21 [33%] patients with RD were symptomatic. The mean age of the control group was 61.6 +/- 8.1 years. The average age at first screening colonoscopy was 52.8 +/- 6.4 years. Of the 299 in the Caucasian group, 254 [84.9%] had LD [114 M/140 F], 9 [3.0%] had RD [2 M/7 F] and 36 [12%] had both LD and RD [16 M/20 F]; 225 [75%] were asymptomatic and came in for screening colonoscopies. A total of 2 patients [22%] with RD were symptomatic
Conclusion: RD was common in this Vietnamese population, and the prevalence was higher than in the Caucasian control group