Visceral Obesity as a Risk Factor for Left-Sided Diverticulitis in Japan: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Left-sided diverticulitis is increasing in Japan, and many studies report that left-sided diverticulitis is more likely to be severe. Therefore, it is important to identify the features and risk factors for left-sided diverticulitis. We hypothesized that left-sided diverticulitis in Japan is related to obesity and conducted a study of the features and risk factors for this disorder in Japan. METHODS: Right-sided diverticulitis and left-sided diverticulitis patients (total of 215) were compared with respect to background, particularly obesity-related factors to identify risk factors for diverticulitis. RESULTS: There were 166 (77.2%) right-sided diverticulitis patients and 49 (22.8%) left-sided diverticulitis patients. The proportions of obese patients (body mass index > or =25 kg/m2, p=0.0349), viscerally obese patients (visceral fat area > or =100 cm2, p=0.0019), patients of mean age (p=0.0003), and elderly patients (age > or =65 years, p=0.0177) were significantly higher in the left-sided-diverticulitis group than in the right-sided-diverticulitis group. The proportion of viscerally obese patients was significantly higher in the left-sided-diverticulitis group than in the left-sided-diverticulosis group (p=0.0390). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that obesity, particularly visceral obesity, was a risk factor for left-sided diverticulitis in Japan.

Prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Ambulatory Patients with Urologic Disorders / 日本補完代替医療学会誌

Objective: The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with various urologic disorders is unknown. We conducted the survey to determine the prevalence of CAM use in ambulatory patients.<br> Methods: We distributed questionnaires to 331 ambulatory patients with various urologic disorders in our department from March 10 to 31, 2004.<br> Results: One in third (30.5%) patients reported the use of at least one CAM. Patient age and gender were not associated with the frequency of the use of CAM. Although not statistically significant, patients with malignant disease showed a higher frequency of CAM use compared with patients with benign disease; 36.2% vs 27.0%, <i>P</i>=0.08. Among the CAM users, only 16 patients (15.8%) informed health care staff of their CAM use.<br> Conclusion: This result shows the current situation of CAM use in patients with urologic disorders. Because of the high prevalence, health care professionals should ask about patients' use of CAM.<br>