Questions and Answers
I have a friend whose mother recently was diagnosed with diverticulitus, and now she is on medication for it. Nothing serious has happened to her , but I was just wondering how she got diverticulitus and what a person's chances are of getting it.
Thank you for your time,
Tom
Hi Tom ... sorry to hear about your friend's mother.
Diverticulitis is inflammation of one or more diverticula (small pockets) in the colon. Anyone can be affected. It has the potential to lead to obstruction or perforation and the formation of an abscess and fistula. Most patients do well on conservative therapy, perhaps with antibiotics and analgesics; sometimes a period if intravenous feeding ( to 'put the bowel at rest') is tried. Surgical resection of the affected part of the bowel is sometimes required in a small proportion of patients.
It is a complication of diverticulosis which occurs in about 10% of North Americans over 40 and increases with age, e.g. 50% of those over 60. Most don't even know they are affected. If there are symptoms, treatment is conservative and may include a sedative to relieve anxiety. About 10 - 20% may go on to develop diverticulitis.
Diet should include adequate amounts of fluid and fibre - incidentally if you do consider increasing your fibre consumption, do it gradually, otherwise it can be quite uncomfortable.
Best wishes.