In about 95 out of 100 people, uncomplicated diverticulitis goes away on its own within a week. In about 5 out of 100 people, the symptoms stay and treatment is needed. Surgery is only rarely necessary.
Once diverticula form, they do not disappear by themselves. Fortunately, most patients with diverticulosis do not have symptoms, and therefore do not need treatment.
If you don't treat it, diverticulitis can lead to serious complications that require surgery: Abscesses, collections of pus from the infection, may form around the infected diverticula. If these go through the intestinal wall, you could get peritonitis. This infection can be fatal.
Uncomplicated diverticulitis
Your doctor is likely to recommend: Antibiotics to treat infection, although new guidelines state that in very mild cases, they may not be needed. A liquid diet for a few days while your bowel heals. Once your symptoms improve, you can gradually add solid food to your diet.
Most of the time, diverticulitis does not require surgery. If mild, the condition can sometimes be treated with medication and dietary changes.
Several factors may increase your risk of developing diverticulitis: Aging. The incidence of diverticulitis increases with age.
The prevalence of diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding has also been increasing[4]. Diverticulosis of the colon is often diagnosed during routine screening colonoscopy.
You have about five feet of colon, and most patients can live a normal, healthy life without the sigmoid section, which is about one foot long.
Diverticulitis is treated using diet modifications, antibiotics, and possibly surgery. Mild diverticulitis infection may be treated with bed rest, stool softeners, a liquid diet, antibiotics to fight the infection, and possibly antispasmodic drugs.
Give it time, approximately 6-8 weeks, and your colon should start to function more normally. When a long piece of colon is removed, however, a faster transit time may be a permanent side effect of the surgery. Nausea is common after surgery. Be sure to take your pain medication on a full stomach.
A mild case of diverticulitis may go away on its own without any treatment. When treatment is necessary, antibiotics and a liquid or low-fiber diet may be all that is necessary to resolve symptoms.
How long does a diverticulitis flare-up typically last? After starting treatment, most people should start to feel better in two or three days. If symptoms don't start to get better by then, it's time to call a healthcare provider and get instructions on what to do next.
How common are colonic diverticula? We are all born without colonic diverticula, but many of us acquire them over a lifetime. In Western societies, half the population will have at least one, and usually a few dozen, by age 60.
As you get older, your colon wall can become weaker. This can cause small pockets or pouches to form in weakened areas of your colon. If these pouches get infected, it can cause a diverticulitis attack or flare-up.
It is possible that stress plays a role in the development of diverticulitis as it is estimated that in 60 percent of cases the condition occurs due to environmental causes. Stress on the digestive system commonly experienced because of low fiber diets. Diets high in fat may also cause diverticulitis.
Common alternative conditions that can clinically mimic diverticulitis include small bowel obstruction, primary epiploic appendagitis, acute cholecystitis, appendicitis, ileitis, ovarian cystic disease, and ureteral stone disease.
How often should you have a colonoscopy with diverticulosis? You'll probably need a colonoscopy every 5 to 8 years if you have diverticulosis. Your doctor will let you know how often you need a colonoscopy if you have diverticulosis depending on the severity of your symptoms.
“Generally speaking, inflammation from diverticulitis can cause scar tissue formation and breakdown of the colon wall, and if the colon wall develops a hole, then an abscess will form,” warns Will Bulsiewicz, MD, a gastroenterologist and gut health expert in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
A liquid diet and rest are usually the best ways to ease diverticulitis symptoms. If there is a bleed within the intestines you may need to be hospitalized. Only in severe cases is surgery needed to remove the diseased pouches. With the proper care, diverticulosis symptoms may go away within in a few days.
It is common to have lower belly pain after recovering from an attack of diverticulitis. But this pain doesn't always mean it's returned.
Symptoms of diverticular disease include: tummy pain, usually in your lower left side, that tends to come and go and gets worse during or shortly after eating (pooing or farting eases it) constipation, diarrhoea, or both. occasionally, blood in your poo.
Once you developed diverticula, they are unlikely to go away. Bleeding and inflammation are two common complications of diverticulosis. Diet plays an important role in the prevention of the progression of diverticulosis, but will not be able to reverse the process.