Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches. Symptoms typically include lower abdominal pain of sudden onset. Risk factors may include obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, a family history of the disease, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Costs associated with diverticular disease were around US USD 2. 4 billion a year in the United States in 2013.
About Diverticulitis in brief
Diverticulitis is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches. Symptoms typically include lower abdominal pain of sudden onset. Risk factors may include obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, a family history of the disease, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The role of a low fiber diet as a risk factor is unclear. Costs associated with diverticular disease were around US USD 2. 4 billion a year in the United States in 2013. The disease is common in the Western world and uncommon in Africa and Asia. In North America and Europe the abdominal pain is usually on the left lower side, while in Asia it isusually on the right. In 2003 in Europe, it resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths. It is the most frequent anatomic disease of the colon. It appears a higher intake of nuts and seeds could help help prevent diverticulosis in adult males. People with the above symptoms are commonly studied with computed tomography, or a CT scan. The CT scan is very accurate in diagnosing diverticula since it is not through all layers of the Colon. Diverticula are micro-sided, since the herniation is not all the way through the colon, but the colon is not the only part of the body that is inflamed. The causes of diverticULitis are poorly understood, with approximately 40% due to genes and 60 percent due to environmental factors.
The condition is postulated to develop because of abnormally vigorous contractions, including high pressures inside the colon because of high pressures in the blood vessels. The symptoms include fever, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, and blood in the stool. Repeated attacks may occur, and the disease becomes more frequent with age, being particularly common in those over the age of 50. In some cases, the affected part of. the colon adheres to the bladder or other organs in the pelvic cavity, causing a fistula, or creating an abnormal connection between an organ and adjacent structure or other organ. In complicated diverticulo, an inflamed diverticulum can rupture, allowing bacteria to subsequently infect externally from the colon,. If the infection spreads to the lining of the abdominal cavity, peritonitis results. Complications such as abscess formation, fistula formation, and perforation of the. colon may require surgery. For severe cases, intravenous antibiotics, hospital admission, and complete bowel rest may be recommended. Probiotics are of unclear value. It is unclear what role dietary fiber plays in diverticule.
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This page is based on the article Diverticulitis published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 19, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.