Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a complication of diverticulosis. Diverticulosis is inflammation of the diverticula.

• Symptoms include pain in the lower left part of your belly, tenderness, and fever

• Doctors find diverticulitis with a CT scan

• Treatment includes rest, a liquid diet, and antibiotics

• If you have severe symptoms, you may need a hospital stay and sometimes surgery

Large Intestine with Diverticula

Diverticula are balloon-like sacs that can develop in the large intestine.

Diverticulitis happens in people who have diverticulosis, a condition in which sacs or pouches form in your large intestine.

The exact cause is not fully understood. Sometimes, stool and bacteria get into one of the sacs (diverticula), causing inflammation and infection.

• Diverticulitis is usually in the lowermost part of your large intestine

• Diverticulitis tends to be more serious in older people and in people taking corticosteroids

If you have diverticulosis, you have a higher risk of getting diverticulitis if you:

• Are older

• Are overweight

• Don't exercise

• Smoke

• Eat a high-fat, low-fiber diet

• Take certain medicines, such as corticosteroids, opioid pain medicines, and anti-inflammatory medicines

Diverticulitis causes:

• Pain in the lower left part of your belly

• Tenderness

• Fever

Diverticulitis can cause problems such as:

• Abscess (a collection of pus)

• Infections in nearby organs or in the belly space between organs (peritonitis)

• Serious infection in your blood causing other organs not to work right (sepsis)

• Intestinal blockage from scarring in the intestine

• Fistula (an abnormal connection between two organs that shouldn’t connect, such as the intestine and the bladder)

Some Complications of Diverticulitis

Doctors usually do tests such as:

• CT scan

• Blood tests to check for infection and other reasons for belly pain

You can treat mild diverticulitis at home with:

• Rest

• A special diet—eat only liquids for a few days, such as broth, juice, or water, and then slowly add in soft foods, such as eggs, cooked vegetables, or yogurt

• Pain medicine

• Sometimes, antibiotics

If you have more serious symptoms, you may need to stay in the hospital for treatment. Your treatment may involve:

• Fluids and antibiotics in your vein

• Pain medicine

• Bed rest

• No food until your symptoms stop

• Sometimes, putting a needle through the skin to drain an infection with a pocket of pus (abscess)

You may need emergency surgery if:

• Your symptoms don’t improve or get worse

• You have increasing pain, tenderness, and fever

• Your intestine is blocked

• Your intestine bursts, causing an infection in the lining of your belly (peritonitis)

• You have an abscess that needs to be drained

Your doctor removes the ruptured (burst) part of your intestine. Then your doctor will either reconnect your intestine or give you a temporary colostomy. A colostomy is a surgical opening in your belly connected to one end of your intestine. Stool exits into the colostomy bag while your intestine heals.

A fistula that forms can also be treated with surgery.

One to 3 months after you're better, doctors usually do a colonoscopy (a test in which a doctor inserts a thin, lighted tube with a small camera through your rectum to look at your large intestine) to rule out colon cancer as an underlying cause of your initial symptoms.

Doctors will also tell you to:

• Eat more fiber

• Exercise

• Lose weight if you're overweight

• Not smoke

It's important to call your doctor if symptoms of diverticulitis happen again.