The Formation of Diverticula and Symptoms of Diverticular Disease

Definition of Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a condition where diverticuli in the colon (large intestine) rupture. Any breach resulted in an infection of the tissues that surround the colon.


The Formation of Diverticula

The muscular wall of the colon grow into thicker with age. Thickening of the bowel wall may reflect an increase in the pressure required by the colon to eliminate feces (stool). A diet low in fiber can lead to small, hard stools that are difficult to remove. Over time, powerful contractions in the colon push the inner lining of the intestine out (hernia) through cracks in the walls are muscular. Pockets that develop are called diverticula.


Symptoms of Diverticular Disease

Most patients with diverticulosis have few or no symptoms. Diverticulosis condition in individuals is found incidentally during tests for other intestinal problems. Twenty percent of patients with diverticulosis will develop symptoms associated with diverticulosis.

The symptoms of the most common of diverticular disease include:

• stomach cramps,
• constipation, and
• diarrhea.

These symptoms related to difficulty to remove the stool along the left colon narrowed by diverticular disease.

Complications are more serious include:

• diverticulitis,
• accumulation of pus (abscess) in the pelvis,
• bowel obstruction,
• a common infection of the abdominal cavity (bacterial peritonitis), and
• bleeding into the colon.

A diverticulum can rupture, and bacteria in the large intestine can spread into the tissues surrounding the colon causing diverticulitis. Constipation or diarrhea may also occur. A collection of pus may develop around the diverticulum is inflamed, leading to the formation of an ulcer (abscess), usually in the pelvis. On rare occurrences, inflamed diverticula can erode into the bladder, causing a bladder infection and out of gas when urinating (peeing). Inflammation of the large intestine may also lead to obstruction of the colon. With sparse, a ruptured diverticulum freely into the abdominal cavity causing a life-threatening infection called peritonitis.

Diverticular hemorrhage occurs when a diverticulum that developed enlarged erodes into a blood vessel at the base of a diverticulum. Rectal expenditure of blood and clumps of red, black or dark red occurred without an abdominal pain associated with it. Rarely, blood probably is black from a diverticulum of the right colon. Bleeding probably is continuous or intermittent, lasting a few days.

Patients with active bleeding usually are hospitalized for observation. Intravenous fluids are given to support blood pressure. Blood transfusions are necessary for those with a blood loss of moderate to severe. At a rare individual with rapid and severe bleeding, the blood pressure may fall (slump), causing dizziness, shock, and loss of consciousness. In most patients, the bleeding stops spontaneously and they were discharged home after a few days in the hospital. Patients with persistent bleeding (persistent) and severe bleeding diverticula require removal by surgery.