Diverticulitis: symptoms, causes, treatment

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Definition

What is diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis (diverticulitis) is a disorder when the pockets in the large intestine become inflamed and infected. This disease can range from mild inflammation to serious infection.

If not treated immediately, there are a number of risks of complications that lurk, such as colon bleeding, intestinal obstruction, and abscesses.

The large intestine (colon) is the end of the digestive tract which plays an important role in absorbing water and vitamins.

This digestive organ also later converts the digested food into feces. Food passes through the large intestine before leaving the body as feces.

When a person has diverticulitis, some parts of the colon wall will weaken. The weak spots will swell up like small pockets. In fact, this part can also become red, swollen, and infected.

How common is this condition?

Diverticulitis is one of the most common digestive disorders. Research shows that 3 out of every 100 people can experience it diverticulitis .

This condition can occur in patients of any age. However, this digestive problem occurs in at least 5-10% of patients over 45 years of age and about 80% in seniors over 85 years.

This disease can be treated by reducing risk factors. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of diverticulitis?

Generally, diverticulitis symptoms are related to signs of digestive problems, ranging from abdominal pain to constipation.

Symptoms of diverticulitis include:

• abdominal pain in the lower left
• nausea,
• gag,
• fever,
• sweating at night,
• loss of appetite,
• stomach feels pressed, and
• constipation (constipation).

One of the symptoms that you need to be aware of is an upset stomach. Stomach pain resulting from diverticulitis usually feels light and tender. Although it seems trivial, this condition actually indicates that the large intestine (diverticulum) has ruptured and forms an abscess.

When it has entered the chronic stage, pain can be accompanied by a lump in the stomach. This condition feels like a large ball that is stuck in your stomach.

When should I see a doctor?

If you feel any of the conditions mentioned, you should consult a doctor. If you experience the symptoms below, it means you need emergency medical attention.

• diarrhea,
• bloody urine,
• heart rate increases,
• hypotension,
• Bloody bowel movements due to injury to the intestine, or
• abnormal vaginal discharge.

Causes and Risk Factors

What causes diverticulitis?

Until now, no definite cause of diverticulitis has been found. However, some experts argue that this disease can occur when digested food moves too slowly through the large intestine.

When the large intestine becomes blocked by feces or food being digested, the walls of the diverticula can tear. As the tear gets bigger and the amount of intestinal bacteria increases, abscesses (pockets of pus) can form in the intestines.

What factors increase my risk of getting this disease?

Digestion that moves too slowly turns out to be influenced by various factors, such as:

• age,
• obesity,
• lack of exercise,
• a diet low in fiber and high in fat, and
• use of certain drugs, such as NSAIDs, steroids, and opioids.

Diagnosis

How to diagnose this condition?

Generally, diverticulitis needs to be diagnosed when it enters the acute stage. The reason is, stomach pain due to this condition can mark a number of other digestive problems.

The doctor will then begin a physical examination, including checking for abdominal pain. In women, usually they will undergo a pelvic examination which aims to distinguish pelvic disease diverticulitis .

After that, you may undergo various other tests, such as:

• blood and urine tests to detect symptoms of infection,
• pregnancy tests in women of childbearing age,
• liver enzyme tests,
• stool culture examination if you have diarrhea, and
• CT scan to identify inflamed pockets.

Medicines & Medicines

What are the treatment options for diverticulitis?

Basically, the choice of diverticulitis treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms and the condition you are experiencing. Here are a number of ways to treat disease diverticulitis reported from the Mayo Clinic.

Mild diverticulitis

If you experience mild symptoms of diverticulitis, your doctor may suggest a number of home remedies, namely:

• antibiotics to fight infection, and
• consume foods that are easy to digest.

Both of these methods are usually quite effective in people with diverticulitis who have not experienced complications.

Diverticulitis with complications

Meanwhile, diverticulitis with complications usually requires special medical treatment, including:

• inpatient
• antibiotics that are given intravenously (IV), and
• remove the abdominal abscess by inserting a tube into the stomach.

Operation

Surgical treatment options are usually given to patients with complications, such as an intestinal abscess or fistula in the intestinal wall. In addition, this method is also recommended for those with weak immune systems and frequent recurrences of diverticulitis.

These operations are then divided into two types, including:

• primary bowel resection and
• bowel resection with colostomy.

Both of these surgeries also depend on how severe the inflammation of the intestine is. If the intestine is already experiencing severe enough inflammation, the doctor may recommend bowel resection with a colostomy.

If the intestinal inflammation is not severe enough, primary bowel resection by reconnecting the healthy part will be performed.

Always discuss with your doctor regarding treatment options that will be undertaken to find out what the risks and benefits are.

Home remedies

What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can be done to treat diverticulitis?

In addition to undergoing treatment from a doctor, lifestyle changes are needed to speed up the healing process of diverticulitis, such as:

• regular exercise to help bowel function work better,
• consult a nutritionist or doctor regarding the diet that needs to be followed,
• a high-fiber diet so that the stool is softer and passes through the intestines quickly, and
• drink more fluids to prevent constipation.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.