Which of the following is not true of diverticular disease:

D. Sixty per cent develop diverticulitis sometime during their lifetime.

DISCUSSION: Among all patients with diverticular disease only 20% can be expected ever to develop symptoms related to their disease. The development of diverticular disease has been linked to low-fiber diets, a type of diet more common in industrialized countries such as the United States and Western Europe. This correlates with the increased prevalence of diverticular disease in these regions. Diverticular hemorrhage accounts for 50% to 60% of all cases of massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage.