Diverticular disease of the colon in black Africa.

Diverticular disease of the colon, previously believed to be rare among Africans, is now an emerging disease entity in many areas of the African tropics. Fifteen patients, the majority of whom were overweight (73%), under 50 years of age (73%) and who have remained on the bulky diet traditional to much of Africa, are reported. The findings suggest that factors previously uncommon in the area may now be operating to cause the disease in the population, and the highly processed food products of the supermarkets may be an important contributor to the development of this new disease entity.