Background: Diverticular disease emerged as a common problem in Western countries over the course of the 20th century.
Aims: To determine the time trends in diverticular disease for hospital admissions in England between 1989/1990 and 1999/2000 and population mortality rates from 1979 to 1999.
Methods: Hospital Episode Statistics were obtained from the Department of Health and mortality data from the Office for National Statistics.
Results: Between 1989/1990 and 1999/2000, annual age-standardized hospital admission rates for diverticular disease increased by 16% for males (from 20.1 to 23.2 per 100,000) and 12% for females (from 28.6 to 31.9 per 100,000). Female rates were significantly higher than male rates throughout the study period. The proportions of admissions with an operation increased by 16% for males (from 22.9% to 24.1%) and 14% for females (from 19.7% to 22.3%). Older patients were less likely to undergo operation than younger patients. In-patient case fatality rates and population mortality rates remained unchanged.
Conclusions: Admission rates for diverticular disease increased over the study period. The proportion of patients who underwent operation increased, but in-patient and population mortality rates remained unchanged. With an ageing population, diverticular disease will become an increasingly important clinical problem in England.