Complicated Acute Diverticulitis More Likely in Patients with IBD

Lengths of stay and costs for acute diverticulitis hospitalization were higher among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in patients without IBD, according to a study published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

“Patients with IBD are at increased risk of complicated diverticulitis and worse outcomes compared with matched controls,” wrote a research team from Cleveland Clinic. “Optimal acute diverticulitis management strategies in IBD are needed.”

Researchers analyzed data for more than 30,000 adults with acute diverticulitis from the National Inpatient Sample database from 2004 to 2013. Among them, 15,106 had IBD.

After propensity matching patients with and without IBD, researchers found similar rates of mortality and surgical intervention between the groups. Nevertheless, patients with IBD had  significantly higher rates of percutaneous drainage (4%, compared with 3.4% in patients without IBD) and venous thromboembolism (1.1%, compared with 0.7% in patients without IBD). Lengths of stay were longer and total costs were higher for patients with IBD.

In a subgroup analysis comparing patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, rates of surgical intervention, in-hospital mortality, and venous thromboembolism, as well as total costs and lengths of stay, were significantly higher among patients with ulcerative colitis, the study showed.

“From 2004 to 2013, there was a significant increase of IBD (range 0.5% to 0.8%; P = < 0.001) in acute diverticulitis patients,” researchers reported, “with overall stable mortality (0.5% to 1.0%; P = 0.47) of acute diverticulitis in patients with IBD.”

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference:
Garg R, Mohammed A, Singh A, Regueiro M, Click B. Trends and outcomes of acute diverticulitis in inflammatory bowel disease: a propensity-matched national study. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2022;28(1):48-53.