Diverticulitis is a digestive condition that occurs due to the infection or inflammation of diverticula in the colon. Diverticula are small, pouch-like structures that can form in the digestive tract. The pouches can appear anywhere in your intestines and are generally harmless. When in this condition, they’re called diverticulosis. But it is when they become infected or inflamed that you develop diverticulitis. It is estimated that about 5 percent of people with diverticulosis develop diverticulitis. If it isn’t treated early, diverticulosis can be serious complications, which may require surgery. In severe cases, diverticulitis can lead to perforation (a rupture) of the bowel, abscesses, peritonitis, blockage of the intestine, kidney infection, etc. In case of severe bleeding, blood transfusion may be needed.
Causes and symptoms of diverticulitis
The pouches on your intestines (diverticula) when the inner, soft tissue layer of the intestine passes through the outer, muscular layer. Most often, diverticula are formed where the muscles of the intestine are weakest, particularly in the sigmoid colon. These pouches can get inflamed or infected when they tear or become blocked by poop, leading to development of diverticulosis. This condition is more common in people over 40. Other risk factors include:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Eating too much red meat
- Lack of exercise
- Taking certain kinds of drugs, such as steroids, opioids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen
The formation of diverticulosis is usually painless and cause a few mild symptoms such as cramping on the left side of your abdomen that disappears after you pass gas or poop and red blood in your poop. If you have diverticulitis, you may have more noticeable symptoms like severe abdominal pain or tenderness, change in bowel habits, fever, chills, frequent urination. Chronic diverticulitis can cause constipation, thin stools, diarrhoea, bloating, belly pain, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding.
When surgery is required?
A sharp pain in the lower left abdomen is the most common symptom of diverticulitis. But some people may develop severe complications like rectal bleeding, which results from injury in the small blood vessels near the diverticula. If you have rectal bleeding, you may require a colon resection, where doctors will remove part of your colon and join the remaining ends. When the ends cannot be joined, the doctor may suggest a temporary colostomy to create an opening for the colon, or large intestine, through the abdomen.
How do you know you have rectal bleeding? A red- or maroon-coloured blood in your stool is a sign of you may have rectal bleeding. You may also feel headache and dizziness. If you have these signs and symptoms, contact your doctor right away. In rare cases, rectal bleeding may result from diverticular haemorrhage, internal bleeding or colon cancer. The most common tests used to diagnose diverticulitis are CT scan, abdominal X-ray, colonoscopy, ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).