Diverticulitis and diverticulosis receive much attention these days in conjunction with diet. The words may sound funny to most people, but their occurrences are anything but humorous. Diverticulosis means having the condition of diverticula, whereas diverticulitis means an inflammation of the diverticula. Together they form diverticular disease.
Definitions
Diverticula are small pouches of weakened places in the intestinal wall. The "sacs" that they form sometimes trap minute debris and cause inflammation. Diverticulosis describes a person's condition that has these pouches. Inflammation causes the condition to worsen, similar to how appendicitis occurs.
Prevalence
The weakened places in the wall of the lower intestine develop with age. According to National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 10 percent of people older than 40 have diverticulosis, but this incidence increases to about 50 percent in those older than 60. The condition commonly takes place in the sigmoid colon, the lowest portion of the large intestine. Ten percent to 25 percent of the people with diverticulosis go on to an occurrence of diverticulitis.
Diverticulosis Symptoms
Often people with diverticulosis don't know they have it. They experience no discomfort or other sign. For others, a feeling of bloating and cramping accompany constipation. Since other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome and stomach ulcers present with similar symptoms, radiographic tests confirm the diagnosis. Generally, a colonoscopy, performed under conscious sedation, verifies the presence of diverticula as well as other conditions.
Diverticulitis Symptoms
The symptoms of inflammation occur suddenly without warning. Severe abdominal pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen begin abruptly. Some people experience cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and a change in bowel habits. Complications of diverticulitis include rectal bleeding, small tears or blockages of the colon. An abscess, a localized pocket of pus may form. Tears, also called perforations, happen as a result of the inflammation at the weakened site of the intestinal wall. An abnormal connection between organ and skin, called a fistula, can occur.
Causes
The most common cause theory points to a low-fiber diet. A person with diverticulosis usually struggles with constipation. A high-fiber diet becomes the recommendation to combat the stoppage. Until recently, doctors believed foods with non-digestible parts allowed hard particles to become trapped in the diverticula leading to diverticulitis. Following this belief, doctors instructed people with diverticulosis to avoid eating nuts, popcorn, and fruits with tiny seeds that include tomatoes, grapes, raspberries and strawberries. However, according to the MayoClinic.com, this no longer holds true. The clinic cites studies that could not make a real connection between seeds and nuts with diverticulosis or diverticulitis. This new mindset now allows people to eat these nutritionally rich foods without worry. Advanced age and a sedentary lifestyle seem contributory.
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