Diverticular Disease Runs in Families

Diverticular disease is among the most common gastrointestinal disorders and results in substantial disability and enormous cost each year in the U.S. Its etiology is usually considered to be environmental, often attributed to diets that are low in fiber and, more recently, to bowel movement patterns. Now, investigators evaluate the possible etiologic contribution of heritability to diverticular disease.

Using nationwide registries of patients and twins in Denmark, investigators identified 142,123 patients with incident cases of diverticular disease (index patients), among whom 10,420 were siblings and 923 were twins. Diagnoses included simple diverticulosis identified by imaging, complicated diverticular disease (diverticulitis and divertic…