Untreated, diverticulitis can be serious, leading to issues such as bowel obstruction and fistula. Get the information you need to lower your risk for these problems and other comorbidities. Diverticulitis is a form of colitis that can be serious and lead to other health complications if not caught early and treated.
If left untreated, it will affect your ability to digest food and cause you considerable pain. Intestinal blockage from diverticular disease is very rare. Other causes, such as cancer, are more common. This is one of the reasons your GP will investigate your symptoms.
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.
Many people who experience these symptoms delay seeking care because they're embarrassed, or they fear that gastrointestinal surgery with a colostomy bag will be their only treatment option. However, most patients with diverticulitis can manage their symptoms with antibiotics and lifestyle changes.
For those who have subsequent episodes, particularly two or more, surgery is often required to remove the affected portion of the colon. You may be at an even greater risk of having a second or third episode if your first attack of diverticulitis was at age 50 or younger.
About 25% of people with acute diverticulitis develop complications, which may include: An abscess, which occurs when pus collects in the pouch. A blockage in your bowel caused by scarring. An abnormal passageway (fistula) between sections of bowel or the bowel and other organs.
If you've had two or three episodes of diverticulitis, your doctor may recommend an elective procedure called sigmoidectomy, in which the affected part of the colon—called the sigmoid colon—is removed to help prevent a recurrence. Before choosing elective surgery, you and your doctor discuss the benefits and risks.
Only a small percentage of people will have complicated diverticulitis, and only a small percentage of those will need surgery. In most cases, even complicated diverticulitis resolves quickly and completely with treatment. Diverticulitis shouldn't affect your overall life expectancy.
Diverticular disease is regarded as a chronic condition, which requires lifelong management.
For most people, diverticulitis won't affect their life span. Many people don't even know they have diverticular disease. Only a small percentage will have symptoms, and an even smaller number will have complications.
In most cases of surgery for diverticulitis, a colostomy is not required.
In most cases, when you have diverticular bleeding, you will suddenly have a large amount of red or maroon-colored blood in your stool. Diverticular bleeding may also cause dizziness or light-headedness, or weakness. See your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms.
However, you should seek immediate medical attention if your symptoms are not going away or you are feeling worse, such as having increasing pain, fever, bloody stools, or abdominal bloating with vomiting.
Despite having some symptoms in common, diverticular disease isn't associated with more serious conditions, such as bowel cancer. However, diverticulitis is often a medical emergency, requiring immediate medical attention and, frequently, admission to hospital.
Generally, it's not a cause for concern. Diverticulosis by itself typically doesn't trigger any symptoms. Rarely, diverticula may bleed, causing blood in the stool. As in your case, diverticulosis is often found during a routine colonoscopy or on an imaging exam, such as a CT scan, that's done for another reason.
Compared with reference individuals, patients with diverticular disease had statistically significantly increased overall cancer incidence (24.5 vs 18.1 per 1000 person-years), equivalent to 1 extra cancer case in 16 individuals with diverticular disease followed-up for 10 years.
Colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is a procedure that allows the gastroenterologist to examine the lining of the colon and rectum wall for any problems, including diverticula. Your doctor may also use this test to identify inflammation or bleeding in the colon.
When stress is added to the overall picture, the problem of diverticulitis becomes an issue. This is due to the body impulses that will immediately address stressful situations by shifting the oxygen and blood from the digestive tract to the brain and muscles.
Actually, no specific foods are known to trigger diverticulitis attacks. And no special diet has been proved to prevent attacks. In the past, people with small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon were told to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn.
Diverticulitis surgery can be risky. The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) recommend it only in the following circumstances: When the colon has ruptured, causing the abdomen to leak or develop serious inflammation. This is called peritonitis and requires emergency surgery.
Long-term management probably includes a high-fiber, low-fat diet. Normal activity is possible after resolution of the acute episode. Patients with diverticular disease should consider vigorous physical activity.