Diverticula are common and associated with ageing. The large intestine becomes weaker with age, and the pressure of hard stools passing through the large intestine is thought to cause the bulges to form.
Symptoms of diverticulitis are more severe and often start suddenly, but they may become worse over a few days. They include: Tenderness, usually in the left lower part of the abdomen.
The incidence of diverticular disease increases with age (>65% in those >85 years). Most patients with diverticulitis are older than 50 years; the mean age at presentation appears to be about 60 years. However, diverticulitis is increasingly being seen in younger persons.
Diverticulitis shouldn't affect your overall life expectancy. Only in the unlikely event of a bowel perforation or a ruptured abscess would you be at risk of life-threatening complications.
While early studies suggested that diverticulitis is a recurrent disease of a progressive nature, more recent studies in the era of improved medical treatment and more reliable diagnostic imaging suggest the natural history is more benign.
Diverticulitis is caused by an infection of one or more of the diverticula. It is thought an infection develops when a hard piece of stool or undigested food gets trapped in one of the pouches. This gives bacteria in the stool the chance to multiply and spread, triggering an infection.
Despite having some symptoms in common, diverticular disease isn't associated with more serious conditions, such as bowel cancer. However, diverticulitis is often a medical emergency, requiring immediate medical attention and, frequently, admission to hospital.
However, the risk of colorectal cancer is increased in the short-term period after hospitalization related to diverticular disease. According to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, the prevalence of colorectal cancer is 1.6% in patients with acute diverticulitis who underwent colonoscopy.
In about 95 out of 100 people, uncomplicated diverticulitis goes away on its own within a week. In about 5 out of 100 people, the symptoms stay and treatment is needed. Surgery is only rarely necessary.
Actually, no specific foods are known to trigger diverticulitis attacks. And no special diet has been proved to prevent attacks. In the past, people with small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon were told to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn.
Diverticulosis is quite common, especially as people age. More than 30% of U.S. adults between the ages of 50 and 59 and more than 70% of those older than age 80 have diverticulosis. Most people with diverticulosis will never develop symptoms or problems.
About 30 to 40 percent of people who have diverticulitis once will never develop it again. For those who have subsequent episodes, particularly two or more, surgery is often required to remove the affected portion of the colon.
Probiotics combined with mesalazine have also emerged as an alternative potential therapeutic strategy in preventing recurrent attacks of diverticulitis. One series reported that treatment with mesalazine and/or lactobacillus casei induced remission in 88% of their patients at a median follow-up of 2 years.
STAGES OF DIVERTICULITIS
Stage I: A pericolic abscess confined by the mesentery of the colon. Stage II: A pelvic abscess resulting from local perforation of a pericolic abscess. This abscess may be walled off by colon, mesocolon, omentum, small bowel, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, and/or pelvic peritoneum.
Once diverticula form, they do not disappear by themselves. Fortunately, most patients with diverticulosis do not have symptoms, and therefore do not need treatment.
When stress is added to the overall picture, the problem of diverticulitis becomes an issue. This is due to the body impulses that will immediately address stressful situations by shifting the oxygen and blood from the digestive tract to the brain and muscles.
Mild cases of diverticulitis are usually treated with antibiotics and a low-fiber diet, or treatment may start with a period of rest where you eat nothing by mouth, then start with clear liquids and then move to a low-fiber diet until your condition improves. More-severe cases typically require hospitalization.
According to the American Gastrointestinal Association (AGA) guidelines, it is recommended to perform a colonoscopy six to eight weeks after resolution of acute diverticulitis [1].
A colonoscopy is a helpful tool for diverticular disease. Especially where there are severe symptoms or bleeding that might be from diverticulitis, a colonoscopy might be done right away. Follow-up colonoscopies are usually done after the symptoms of diverticulitis clear up.
It is possible that diverticulitis may initiate inflammatory changes which resemble Crohn's disease histologically, but do not carry the clinical implications of chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Most people with diverticulitis recover completely. But, at its most severe, a pouch can burst open, spilling fecal matter directly into a person's bloodstream. This results in an immediate risk of developing a blood infection called sepsis, which can be life-threatening.
Brock was one of the greats in UFC until it was discovered that he had diverticulitis, an illness that could have taken his life, had he waited much longer for treatment.