Goals: To investigate the current opinion of Italian general practitioners (GPs) on the management of patients with diverticular disease (DD) of the colon.
Background: The management of DD remains a point of debate, and guidelines are not uniform in their advice.
Study: A web-based survey was conducted among Italian GPs. Twelve questions were aimed at the diagnosis, treatment, and management options for diverticulosis and symptomatic DD.
Results: In total, 245 surveys were filled out. A high-fiber diet was prescribed widely in diverticulosis (44%), together with advice to allow seeds (30%). Rifaximin (26%) and probiotics (25%) were the most frequently prescribed drugs in this population. Colonoscopy was the most prescribed instrumental tool in the diagnosis (77%) and follow-up (21%) of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease patients. Rifaximin, probiotics, and mesalazine were the most frequently prescribed drugs in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease patients (82.8, 59.5%, and 36.3%, respectively). Finally, 77% of the Italian GPs prescribed laboratory exams in the follow-up of these patients. The vast majority of the Italian GPs (83%) managed suspected acute diverticulitis at home, and did not consider two episodes of acute diverticulitis as a strict surgical indication (86%). Rifaximin, probiotics, and mesalazine were the most frequently prescribed drugs to prevent recurrence of the disease (42.5%, 28.2%, and 12.4%, respectively). Finally, 87% of the Italian GPs prescribed laboratory examinations in the follow-up of these patients.
Conclusions: This survey shows that the current management of DD in primary care by Italian GPs is not fully in line with current guidelines and more recent literature data.