If you’re age 60 or older, there’s a 60 percent or greater chance that you have diverticular disease (diverticulosis).
What is diverticulosis?
This means that small pouches (diverticula) have developed along the walls of your large intestine (colon).
During diverticulitis, the patient complains of abdominal pain, constipation, nausea and vomiting, fever.
As we read in the article, for most people, diverticula never cause a problem. You may only learn of the disease as a result of a colon exam done for another reason. However, up to about 15 percent of those with diverticula experience a painful attack caused by inflammation or infection of a diverticular pouch (diverticulitis). A similar percentage of people may experience nonpainful rectal bleeding.
It’s generally felt that lifestyle improvements can reduce the risk of a first or a recurrent diverticulitis attack.
Steps include:
- Gradually adopting a high-fiber diet
- Exercising regularly
- Maintaining a healthy weight
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