Jae Gon Lee, Yong Eun Park, Ji Young Chang, Hyun Joo Song, Duk Hwan Kim, Young Joo Yang, Byung Chang Kim, Myung-Won You, Kyuwon Kim, Kwang Woo Kim, Yuna Kim, Seong-Eun Kim, Seung-Jae Myung, on behalf of the Clinical Practice Guideline Taskforce of the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases
Received November 28, 2025 Accepted December 28, 2025 Published online June 8, 2026
Acute colonic diverticulitis is a common gastrointestinal inflammatory disorder. The incidence of acute colonic diverticulitis has been steadily increasing in Korea, particularly among younger and middle-aged adults. This rising prevalence, along with the observed differences in clinical characteristics compared to Western populations, underscores the need for region-specific, evidence-based guidance. The Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) established a task force to develop these clinical practice guidelines to optimize the diagnosis and medical management of acute colonic diverticulitis tailored to the Korean healthcare environment. These guidelines were developed through a systematic literature review, critical appraisal of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, and expert consensus via a modified Delphi method. They addressed 12 clinical questions encompassing prognostic factors, diagnostic modalities, initial management for uncomplicated diverticulitis, management of complications, and prevention of recurrence. The resulting recommendations provide clinicians with evidence-based guidance for individualized management based on patients’ condition and values. These guidelines aim to enhance the quality of care and optimize outcomes for patients with acute colonic diverticulitis in Korea.
Background/Aims Immunocompromised patients with acute colonic diverticulitis are at high risk for complications and failure of non-surgical treatment. However, evidence on the comparative outcomes of immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis is lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the outcomes of medical treatment in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis.
Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Studies comparing the clinical outcomes of immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis were included.
Results A total of 10 studies with 1,946,461 subjects were included in the quantitative synthesis. The risk of emergency surgery and postoperative mortality after emergency surgery was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients than in immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis (risk ratio [RR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31–2.38 and RR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.70–5.45, respectively). Overall risk of complications associated with diverticulitis was non-significantly higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.95–1.63). Overall mortality irrespective of surgery was significantly higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis (RR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.73–7.69). By contrast, postoperative mortality after elective surgery was not significantly different between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with diverticulitis. In subgroup analysis, the risk of emergency surgery and recurrence was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients with complicated diverticulitis, whereas no significant difference was shown in mild disease.
Conclusions Immunocompromised patients with diverticulitis should be given the best medical treatment with multidisciplinary approach because they had increased risks of surgery, postoperative morbidity, and mortality than immunocompetent patients.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Diverticulitis in the Young and Immunocompromised: Should the Surgical Threshold Be Lower? Mayar H. Alatout, Celsa Tonelli, Justin T. Brady Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Comparison of Outcomes Following Surgery for Diverticulitis Among Immunocompetent and Immunosuppressed Patients Usama Waqar, Christina Gozza, Courtney L. Devin, Terrah J. Paul Olson, Seth A. Rosen The American Surgeon™.2025; 91(7): 1093. CrossRef
Global guidelines on diverticular disease of the colon: the Fiesole Consensus report Antonio Tursi, Giovanni Brandimarte, Francesco Di Mario, Wenjie Ma, Juozas Kupcinskas, Jaroslaw Regula, Giovanni Maconi, Peter Malfertheiner, Giovanni Barbara, Neil Stollman, Savvas Papagrigoriadis, Thomas Golda, Antonio Amato, Mauro Bafutto, Gabrio Basso Gut.2025; : gutjnl-2025-336902. CrossRef
Does type II diabetes mellitus increase the morbidity of patients with diverticulitis? Marei H. Alshandeer, Walid M. Abd El Maksoud, Khaled S. Abbas, Fahad S. Al Amri, Maha A. Alghamdi, Hassan A. Alzahrani, Abdullah Dalboh, Mohammed A. Bawahab, Aisha J. Asiri, Yahia Assiri Medicine.2024; 103(46): e40567. CrossRef
Not all acute colonic diverticulitis follows the same course: a potential risk for immunocompromised individuals Yehyun Park Intestinal Research.2023; 21(4): 415. CrossRef