Diverticula
goodtoknow says: Diverticula of the colon is common in the over 40's and is normally caused by a low fibre diet. Diverticula are small pouches you can get in your gut. They often cause no problems, but they can become inflamed causing stomach cramps, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and wind, this is known as diverticular disease or diverticulitis. These symptoms are so similar to IBS that it can be difficult to diagnose diverticular disease correctly, although IBS tends to affect younger people. Eating plenty of fibre and drinking lots of fluids can help. See your GP for advice.
For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of diverticular disease and diverticulitis from patient.co.uk, read on.
Diverticula of the colon are common in older people. They commonly cause no symptoms, and in most cases no treatment is needed. However, a high fibre diet is usually advised to help prevent complications. In some cases diverticula cause pain and other symptoms. Sometimes a diverticulum may bleed which can cause a sudden, painless bleed from the anus which can be profuse. In some cases one or more diverticula become infected to cause diverticulitis. This can cause severe abdominal pain and fever and require a course of antibiotics. Complications caused by diverticulitis such as an abscess or a perforated bowel are uncommon, but are serious.
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