Table 1.
Characteristics of the investigated groups (10 years if diverticulosis and longer) and results of the investigation at 12 months of follow-up
| All patients | Treatment group | Placebo group | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 52 | 30 | 22 | |
| Gender (female/male) | 30/22 | 17/13 | 13/9 | |
| Mean age of patients (years) | 64.2 | 63.7 | 64.7 | ns |
| SD | 6.7 | 6.09 | 7.65 | |
| Median | 63.5 | 63 | 64 | |
| Duration of diverticulosis (years) | 9.9 | 10.47 | 9.32 | ns |
| SD | 4.46 | 4.18 | 4.82 | |
| Median | 10 | 8.5 | 10 | |
| Clinical symptoms of diverticulitis: acute left lower quadrant pain, tenderness, fever (>3 °8C) or leukocytosis (WBC > 12,000/mm3), n (%) | 9 (17.3) | 2 (6.7) | 7 (31.8) | 0.0425 |
| Abdominal ultrasound examinations for suspected diverticulitis, n (%) | 6 (11.5) | 1 (3.3) | 5 (22.7) | 0.0229 |
| Diagnoses of diverticulitis in abdominal US, n (%) | 6 (11.5) | 1 (3.3) | 5 (22.7) | |
| CT abdomen for suspected diverticulitis, n (%) | 3 (5.8) | 1 (3.3) | 2 (9) | ns (low number of events) |
| Diagnoses of diverticulitis in CT abdomen, n (%) | 3 (5.8) | 1 (3.3) | 2 (9) | |
| Hospitalizations for diverticulitis, n (%) | 4 (7.7) | 1 (3.3) | 3 (13.6) | ns (low number of events) |
| Surgery (Hartmann's procedure) because of diverticulitis, n (%) | 1 (1.9) | 0 (0) | 1 (4.5) | ns (low number of events) |
| Subjective evaluation of the patients (positive answer to the question: Did you observe adequate relief of diverticulosis related to abdominal pain or discomfort within the past 12 months?), n (%) | 22 (42.3) | 17 (56.7) | 5 (22.7) | 0.0143 |
| Number of adverse events, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | ns (low number of events) |
ns not significant