Stress involvement in pathophysiology of Diverticular Disease: case series and review of the literature

Diverticular disease pathogenesis is still unknown in depth. Adaptation to a severe social stress possibly generates sustained dominance of the sympathetic over the parasympathetic activity, leading through a prolonged spasm of the sigmoid to the creation of diverticula and the related disease. Based on case series, we suggest an imbalance in autonomic nervous activity as a component of the multisystemic complex pathophysiology of diverticular disease.