Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis Diagnosis
Diverticulitis is a condition in which diverticuli in the colon rupture. The rupture results in infection in the tissues which surround the colon. The colon is the large intestine and is a long tube like striation that stores and then eliminates waste material. As a person gets older, pressure within the colon causes bulging pockets of tissue, or sacs, that push out from the colon walls. A small bulging sac pushing outward from the colon wall is called a diverticulum. More than one bulging sac is referred to as diverticula. Diverticula can occur throughout the colon, but most are common near the end of the left colon. This is referred to as the sigmoid colon. The condition of having these diverticula in the colon is called diverticulosis.
Complications From Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is an inflammation and infection of diverticula, which are pouches found in the colon wall. Complications such as perforations or tears, blockages, bleeding, peritonitis and abscesses can occur even with treatment. If any of these complications should happen, immediate treatment must be started to prevent the complications from getting worse and possibly end up in a life-threatening situation.
What Is Diverticulitis?
The easiest way to explain what diverticulitis is would be to say that it is a digestive disease that occurs in the large intestine and sometimes other parts of the body. It develops from diverticulosis, which is when pouches or diverticula are formed on the outside of the colon. When a diverticula becomes inflamed or infected the result is called diverticulitis.