A total of 131 patients between 23 and 92 years, with a mean age of 60.03 ± 15.20 years, were evaluated (median=58; 95% CI=55-62.19). Of these, 54 were male (41.22%) and 77 female (58.78%).
In total, 29 patients (22.14%) were treated surgically and 102 (77.86%) conservatively; clinical success was achieved in 109 cases (83.21%) against 22 therapeutic failures (16.79%).
The mean value of lymphocytes before treatment was 1.7208 ± 1.28 (range=0.09-13.8; median=1.6; 95% CI=1.45-1.68); the mean value of neutrophils was 11.87 ± 8.96 (range=1.29-84.5; median=10.17; 95% CI=9.6-11.52). The mean NLR value was 8.63 ± 6.52 (range=1.20-36.62; median=6.48; 95% CI=5.76-7.6); the mean CRP value before treatment was 110.54 ± 85.63 (range=0.04-394.4; median=99.88; 95% CI=81.63-115.3). The mean value of hospitalization days was 9.93 ± 6.91 (range=1-42; median=8; 95% CI=7.34-9).
As mentioned before, patients were divided into three groups according to WSES staging: group 0 consisted of 22 patients, group 1 of 89 patients and group 2 of 20 patients. The group 0 had a mean age of 60.72 ± 12.79 years, group 1 of 58.94 ± 15.68 years and group 2 of 64.15 ± 15.36 years. The ANOVA test showed no stastistical significant difference between age and the three staged severity groups according to WSES (p=0.493).
Similarly, patients staged according to Hinchey were divided into 3 groups: group 0 had a mean age of 59.39 ± 14.81, group 1 58.14 ± 15.52 and group 2 66.41 ± 15.87. Again, there was no statistically significant difference between age and the groups staged according to Hinchey (p=0.168).
With regard to neutrophils, the ANOVA test showed that their value was statistically significantly associated with severity as assessed by WSES (p=0.034), but not with that assessed by Hinchey (p=0.061).
Lymphocytes were not shown to be statistically significantly associated with either WSES-staged (p=0.791) or Hinchey-staged cases (p=0.595).
The NLR was statistically significantly associated with the severity of diverticulitis staged according to WSES (p=0.030), but not with that staged according to Hinchey (p=0.784).
On the other hand, the CRP proved to be significantly higher both in severe cases staged according to WSES (p<0.001) and those staged according to Hinchey (p<0.001). In particular then, Spearman's test showed how CRP values correlated with case severity staged according to WSES (rho=0.326, p=0.0002) and to Hinchey (rho=0.36, p<0.0001).
There was no statistically significant difference between hospitalization days and groups staged according to WSES (p=0.441) and Hinchey (p=0.485).
Finally, the Mann-Whitney test showed that there is no significant difference in median NLR values between the clinical success and failure groups (p=0.0925).
Similarly, there was no significant difference in median CRP values between the two outcome groups (p=0.1979).