Epidemiology and pathogenesis of diverticular disease.

Diverticular disease is a common entity in the USA with an apparent increasing incidence worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease process is likely multifactorial involving dietary habits, changes in colonic pressures and motility, and colon wall structural changes associated with aging. The following review addresses our current limited knowledge regarding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of diverticulosis and diverticulitis.