Diverticulosis
Diverticulosis is the condition of having diverticula, small outpouchings from the large intestine, the colon. (One outpouching is a diverticulum; two or more are diverticula).
Diverticulosis can occur anywhere in the colon but it is most typical in the sigmoid colon, the S-shaped segment of the colon located in the left lower part of the abdomen. (Sides are from the patient’s perspective so the left lower part of your abdomen is nearest your left hand).
The incidence of diverticulosis increases with age. Age causes a weakening of the walls of the colon and this weakening permits the formation of diverticula. By age 80, most people have diverticulosis.
A key factor promoting the formation of diverticulosis is elevated pressure within the colon. The pressure within the colon is raised when a person is constipated and has to push down to pass small, hard bits of stool (“rabbit droppings”).
Most patients with diverticulosis have few or no symptoms although some have mild symptoms including abdominal cramping and bloating.
Diverticulosis sets the stage for inflammation and infection of the outpouching. This condition is called diverticulitis. (The “-itis” refers to inflammation.) It is potentially serious and can result in pain in the left lower abdomen, fever, nausea, vomiting, constipation and, paradoxically, diarrhea and frequent urination. Even graver consequences such as perforation of the colon and peritonitis are well known from diverticulitis.
The best way to avoid developing diverticulosis in the first place (aside from the impossibility of staying young) is by eating a proper healthy diet With plenty of fiber. A diet high in fiber keeps the bowels moving, keeps the pressure within the colon within normal limits, and slows or stops the formation of diverticula.
Read Also:
- Diverticulosis/diverticulitis and fiber
High fiber diets help delay the progression of diverticulosis and, at least, reduce the attacks of diverticulitis.
- Diverticulum
Diverticulum: A small bulging sac pushing outward from the colon wall is a diverticulum. As a person ages, pressure within the large intestine (colon) causes pockets of tissue (sacs) that push out from the colon walls. The plural is diverticula. Diverticula can occur throughout the colon but are most common near the end of the […]
- Diverticulum, Meckel's
Diverticulum, Meckel’s: An outpouching of the small bowel. About 1 in every 50 (2%) people has a Meckel’s diverticulum. It is usually 2 inches long and is located about 2 feet before the junction of the small bowel with the colon (the large intestine) in the right lower abdomen. Meckel’s diverticulum can become inflamed, ulcerate […]
- Diving injury
Diving injury: An injury incurred from diving into water that is too shallow or has hidden hazards. These injuries may be to the head, neck, or spinal cord. Many diving injuries result when persons –predominantly males aged 15-25 years — plunge into swimming pools or natural bodies of water such as rivers, streams, lakes, and […]
- Dizygotic twin
Dizygotic twin: A twins who have shared a common uterine environment with its twin but is due to a different fertilized ovum. Dizygotic twins are also called fraternal twins.