Diverticulosis and metabolic syndrome: A systematic exploration

Diverticular disease is correlated with fatty liver disease, obesity, and arterial hypertension, particularly in younger patients.

A systematic literature review was conducted to explore potential connections between diverticulosis and cardiometabolic risk factors like fatty liver disease, obesity, and arterial hypertension.

A systematic literature search was carried out through the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PubMed, to gather the required data. The review incorporated studies that investigated the correlation between metabolic syndrome or individual metabolic factors and asymptomatic diverticulosis.

The Population, Exposure, Control, and Outcomes (PECO) scheme was employed, defining “Patients” as individuals screened for diverticulosis, “Exposure” as the presence of diverticulosis or diverticular disease, “Control” as the absence of diverticulosis, and “Outcome” as the presence of metabolic syndrome or its sub-components. Risk of bias and quality were evaluated utilizing the ROBINS-E tool and the GRADE approach, respectively.

Out of the publications initially recognized through Web of Science (296), PubMed (477), and Cochrane Library (224), 29 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. With the utilization of GRADE, these selected studies underwent quality assessment. A total of 6 studies were categorized as "very low" quality, 19 as "low" quality, and 4 as "moderate" quality.

A link between arterial hypertension, obesity, and fatty liver disease was reported in younger individuals, as well as diverticulosis. The patients' age was found to be a significant factor in the development of diverticula. The information regarding diabetes mellitus was not definitive and may need additional exploration, depending on the location of the diverticula.

There exists a link between arterial hypertension, fatty liver disease, and obesity in younger people. The formation of diverticula seemed to be impacted by genetic factors and age. The findings suggested a relationship with cardiometabolic risk factors. It was considered imperative to conduct focused studies to enhance the comprehension of the involvement of metabolic risk factors in asymptomatic diverticulosis.