Pattern of diverticular disease among Africans.

Diverticular disease of the colon was found to be a rare but emerging clinical problem among Urban Africans where 26 patients were recorded in this 5 year retrospective study, giving a hospital prevalence of 5 per 100,000 admissions. The pattern was different from that reported in Western communities in that, while diverticula were left sided in 77% of cases, 62% were right sided and 73% presented with haemorrhage. This confirms a reported experience among African Americans. We would like to postulate that it might be the pattern during a transition from traditional to Western diet.