Acute diverticulitis, which is normally seen only in those over 50 years old, is now being seen in younger, obese adults.
Acute diverticulitis is a disease of the colon usually caused by a diet low in fiber. Increased colon pressure causes thin-walled pouches (diverticula) to develop in the bowel wall.
Bacterial infection of diverticula can then lead to inflammation, perforation of the intestinal wall, and other complications.
Researchers, concerned by increasing evidence of acute diverticulitis in younger patients, monitored the health of more than 100 patients, divided into over-50 and under-50 groups, who had suffered bouts of acute diverticulitis.
Of the two groups, more than 75 percent of them overall suffered from abdominal obesity, and those under age 50 were more prone to obesity -- and had worse cases of it -- than older the older patients.