Clinical—Alimentary TractObesity Increases the Risks of Diverticulitis and Diverticular Bleeding
Section snippets
Study Population
The study cohort consisted of 51,529 male dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists, optometrists, osteopathic physicians, and podiatrists who have been prospectively followed up as part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. At baseline in 1986, participants were between the ages of 40 and 75 years and returned detailed questionnaires concerning diet, lifestyle, and medical history. Medical information has been updated biennially and dietary information every 4 years via self-administered
Results
During 730,446 person-years of follow-up, we identified 801 incident cases of diverticulitis and 383 incident cases of diverticular bleeding. At baseline, 3.7% of men had a BMI <21 kg/m2, 29.8% a BMI between 23 and 25 kg/m2, and 8.1% a BMI of at least 30 kg/m2. The associations between baseline characteristics and BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio were similar (Table 1). Men with elevated BMI, waist circumference, and/or waist-to-hip ratio were on average more likely to be
Discussion
In this large prospective cohort of men, we found that BMI was independently associated with the risk of diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding. Positive associations were also found between weight gain, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio, further implicating body fat as a risk factor for diverticular complications. The strength of the relationship between obesity and each anthropometric measurement was similar after adjustment for other potential confounders and when restricting the
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Cited by (0)
The authors disclose the following: Supported by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (K08 HS14062 to L.L.S.), the National Cancer Institute (PO1CA055075 to E.L.G. and K24 CA113433 to S.S.), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL035464 to E.L.G.). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, or the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The funding sources had no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of this study.