Association between the Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis and Diverticular Bleeding

Diverticulosis is a major health problem in middle-aged and older adults. The cause of bleeding in the diverticulum is not clear, but arteriolar changes are considered as the main pathogenesis of diverticular bleeding. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the risk factors for atherosclerosis and diverticular bleeding.

In this case-control study, 112 patients with diverticulitis over 40 years of age attending Babol Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital 2018-19 were studied in two groups of with and without diverticular bleeding. The participants were investigated in terms of high and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, triglyceride, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, history of diabetes, hypertension, and other factors.

The mean age of patients was 62.42±10.45 years. There were 62 patients (55.4%) with diverticular disease and 50 patients (44.6%) with diverticular bleeding. The risk of diverticular bleeding in patients with a history of heart disease was 4.25 times higher than that in patients without a history of non-coronary heart disease (P<0.001). Also, the risk of diverticular bleeding in patients with history of angiography and coronary stent was 3.11 times higher compared with patients without such history (P=0.004). In multivariate analysis based on adapted odds ratio, history of non-coronary heart disease, history of hypertension, elevated triglyceride and LDL levels, and decreased HDL levels were found as the risk factors for diverticular bleeding.

This study showed that along with ischemia in the arteries of heart, brain, and peripheral arteries, the risk of bleeding in intestinal arteries also increases in patients with diverticulosis.