Diverticulitis

A diverticulum is a protrusion of the intestinal wall. Most often, formations are found in the colon – this is the last 1.5 meters of the digestive tube, where water is absorbed, which makes the stool from the liquid become hard. Less common are diverticula in the oesophagus and small intestine. The gender of a person does not affect whether formations appear, but with age, the likelihood of their occurrence increases.

In most cases, symptoms are absent, but in some cases, inflammation or bleeding develops. The diagnosis is based on colonoscopy, capsular endoscopy, barium enema, CT or MRI. Asymptomatic diverticulosis does not require treatment. When symptoms develop, treatment tactics depend on the nature of the clinical manifestations.

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The cause of the disease 

Diverticulums appear in the “weak” places of the intestinal wall – the places where it is pierced by blood vessels. It has also been noted that diverticulums more often appear in people with constipation and in Westerners, where the diet has few dietary fibres — the natural “softeners” of the stool. This leads to a protrusion of the mucous membrane and submucosal layer of the intestine towards the abdominal cavity through the muscle layer.

Symptoms 

Most (80%) of patients with diverticulosis are asymptomatic or only experience periodic constipation. Approximately 20% show symptoms such as pain or bleeding as inflammatory or hemorrhagic complications develop. Patients with diverticulosis sometimes develop non-specific symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, including bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and mucus from the rectum.

Treatment 

• Asymptomatic diverticulitis does not require treatment or changes in diet.
• With diverticulosis with nonspecific symptoms of disorders in the digestive tract. The treatment is aimed at reducing the spasm of the segments of the colon.
• Diverticular bleeding is treated similarly to bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract.