Overview:
- Diverticula are small bulges or pockets that can develop in the lining of the intestine as you get older.
- Most people with diverticula do not get any symptoms and only know they have them after having a scan for another reason.
- When there are no symptoms, it is called diverticulosis.
- When diverticula cause symptoms, such as pain in the lower tummy, it’s called diverticular disease.
- If the diverticula become inflamed or infected, causing more severe symptoms, it’s called
- more likely to get diverticular disease and diverticulitis if do not get enough fibers in diet.
Etiology:
small bulges or pockets that can develop in the lining of the intestine as a result of high intra-luminal pressure due to a fatty low fiber diet, and delayed defecation and passing flatus
Symptoms:
presence of diverticula itself is asymptomatic, but symptoms arise due to inflammation in the diverticula, and it is including:
- Abdominal pain: usually in the lower left quadrant, increases during eating and subsides after defecation
pain may last in varying intensity for several days
- Blood or mucous in stool
- Fever
- Constipation or diarrhea
- weakness
- Serious complications of diverticulitis may occur and include:
- intra-abdominal abscess: usually at the wall of inflamed diverticulum and may spread further
- bowel obstruction due to severe inflammatory edema of the intestinal wall or due to formation of fistulas
- diverticulum perforation is a life-threatening case that leads to generalized peritonitis
Causes:
risk factors include:
- age, where it is common after the age of forty
- Smoking
- Poor physical activity
- High-fat and low-fiber diet
- Obesity
- some medications such as steroids and NSAIDs
Diagnosis:
- clinical examination with clinical story in details
- Laboratory tests: to detect inflammatory markers and rule out hepatitis or pancreas
- colonoscopy: in settled cases
- CT to diagnose diverticulitis and help to determine the appropriate treatment plan
Treatment:
- We can prevent diverticula by following a healthy balanced diet with drinking plenty of fluids
Exercises
and avoiding smoking
- Treatment of mild cases:
- total rest in bed
- antibiotics
- liquid diet for a few days
- Treatment of severe or recurrent cases:
surgery where the inflamed section is removed and the two ends of the colon are reconnected if the general condition of patient allows
or colostomy and re-closure later in advanced cases.
