Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis

    * Introduction
    * Signs and symptoms
    * Causes and Risk Factors
    * Diagnosis
    * Treatment
    * Complications
Diverticulosis is a diagnosis that describes this diverticula - form of bags structures, formed by folds of the intestinal mucosa. Diverticula occur mainly after 40 years and are found mainly in elderly subjects. Pouches in the esophagus can occur, in this case they can store food.
Each diverticulum is between 5 and 10 mm in diameter, but can sometimes exceed 20 mm. The most common location is the sigmoid colon, but diverticula can form any portion of the large intestine. Vegetarians and others who consume a large amount of dietary fiber shows a low incidence of diverticula.
Diverticulosis asymptomatic, diagnosed incidentally is uncomplicated and requires further investigation. Sometimes, one or more diverticula become inflamed or infected, causing acute abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. Inflammation of diverticula is called diverticulitis. Mild forms of diverticulitis are treated with rest, diet and antibiotics. But more severe forms may require surgery to remove the diseased part of the colon. Fortunately, most patients with diverticulosis never develop diverticulitis. To prevent both diseases diverticulitis, recommend eating foods rich in fiber. Although the pathogenic mechanisms of disease diverticulitis are not fully understood, it is obvious that they are related to complex interactions between colonic structure, intestinal motility, diet and genetic factors.
The incidence of diverticulosis is not known, but a study of patients who had colonoscopies performed show that this is 27% and increases with age. Among patients with diverticulosis, 80 -85% remain asymptomatic, while 5% develop diverticulitis (inflammation of the diverticula), while a small percentage of complications such as formation of abscesses, fistulas, obstruction or bleeding. The remaining patient is symptomatic diverticular disease, manifesting by colicky pain, but no apparent inflammation of diverticula.
General recommendations refers to adopting a diet rich in fiber from these patients to prevent diverticulitis.