Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis (Print Version)

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Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diverticulosisanddiverticulitis.html

Also called: Also called: Diverticular disease

Diverticula are small pouches that bulge outward through the colon, or large intestine. If you have these pouches, you have diverticulosis. This condition becomes more common as people age. About half of all people over age 60 have it. Doctors believe the main cause is a low-fiber diet.

Most people with diverticulosis don't have symptoms. Sometimes it causes mild cramps, bloating or constipation. A high-fiber diet and mild pain reliever will often relieve symptoms.

If the pouches become inflamed or infected, you have diverticulitis. The most common symptom is abdominal pain, usually on the left side. If the diverticula are infected, you may also have fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping and constipation. In serious cases, diverticulitis can lead to bleeding tears, or blockages. Treatment focuses on clearing up the infection with antibiotics, resting the colon and preventing future problems. A serious case may require a hospital stay.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

Diverticulosis(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/diverticulosis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/diverticulosisspanish/htm/index.htm
Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/

Overviews

Diverticular Disease(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/digestive/disorders/880.printerview.html
Diverticular Disease of the Colon(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/diverticular.asp
Diverticulitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/diverticulitis/DS00070/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
What I Need to Know about Diverticular Disease(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticular/
Also available in Spanish http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/diverticular_ez/

Latest News

Nuts, Seeds, Popcorn Don't Boost Diverticulosis Risk(08/26/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68572.html

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Colonoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonoscopy/
Colonoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colonoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colonoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/sigmoidoscopy/
Lower GI Series (Barium Enema)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lowergi/
Virtual Colonoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/virtualcolonoscopy/

Treatment

Laparoscopic Proctosigmoidectomy: Basic Surgical Steps(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/laparoscopic_surgery/hic_laparoscopic_proctosigmoidectomy_basic_surgical_steps.aspx
Treatment Options for Diverticulitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.org/diverticulitis/treatment.html

Nutrition

Dietary Fiber: An Essential Part of a Healthy Diet(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/fiber/NU00033/METHOD=print
Diverticulitis Diet: What Should I Eat After an Attack?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/diverticulitis-diet/HQ00548/METHOD=print
Fiber: How to Increase the Amount in Your Diet(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/food/general-nutrition/099.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/food/improve/099.printerview.html

Tutorials

Colonoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colonoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colonoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
Diverticulosis(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/diverticulosis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/diverticulosisspanish/htm/index.htm

Videos

Laparoscopic Sigmoid Colectomy(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 6/21/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=309

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Diverticulitis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Diverticulitis%22

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Images in clinical medicine. Colonic saccular diverticula. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18799553&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Nut, corn, and popcorn consumption and the incidence of diverticular... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18728264&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Chronic diverticulitis: clinical, radiographic, and pathologic findings. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18647926&tool=MedlinePlus
Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(diverticulitis[mh]+OR+diverticulosis,+colonic[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Directories

GI Physician Locator(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/phylocator.asp

Organizations

American Gastroenterological Association - http://www.gastro.org/
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons - http://www.fascrs.org/
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/diverticulosisanddiverticulitis.html

Date last updated: September 22 2008

Topic last reviewed: September 22 2008