Diverticulitis begins as diverticulosis, a condition involving small pouches that bulge outward through your colon wall. Diverticulosis becomes more common as we get older. More than half of people over age 60 are diagnosed with diverticulosis.
Most cases of diverticulosis are either asymptomatic or cause only minor symptoms, such as cramping, bloating or constipation. When the pouches become infected, it can lead to diverticulitis. Symptoms may include:
- Chills
- Constipation
- Cramps
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
When diverticulitis is at its most severe, patients risk suffering bleeding, tears and sepsis, a condition that can be life-threatening.
Before you learn to relieve diverticulitis symptoms—or prevent them in the first place—it’s helpful to know more about the root condition, diverticulosis.
How Is Diverticulosis Diagnosed?
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, doctors aren’t sure what causes diverticulosis. However, they believe that certain people are genetically predisposed to developing it.
Diverticulosis may also develop due to straining and difficulty passing bowel movements, which is common among people with low-fiber diets. Over time, the combination of pressure and straining may cause the condition to worsen into diverticulitis.
Because most cases of diverticulosis don’t produce symptoms, you might only be diagnosed with it when you’re being evaluated for other conditions or undergoing screenings for colon polyps.
If diverticulosis is suspected or observed during screenings, doctors can use cameras to view these pouches in your colon to determine how many there are, their size, and their overall severity. Doctors also may order imaging tests, including computed tomography scans or X-rays, to diagnose diverticulosis.
What Causes a Diverticulitis Flare-Up?
If you have diverticulosis, the condition may cause diverticulitis to flare when certain lifestyle factors are present, including:
- Eating diets low in fiber and high in red meat
- Not getting enough physical activity
- Obesity
- Taking medicines such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids
- Smoking
Flare-ups can sometimes happen after the bacteria in your intestines are affected by antibiotics.
What Can You Do When Diverticulitis Symptoms Occur?
Mild cases of diverticulitis usually only require outpatient treatment, and many treatment options can be performed at home via changes in lifestyle and digestive health.
These treatments include:
- Getting plenty of rest
- Taking a 7- to 10-day course of broad-spectrum antibiotics
- Temporarily eating a low fiber or clear-liquid diet to allow the intestines an opportunity to heal
In more severe cases, people with diverticulitis may need to be admitted to the hospital and be fed intravenously for a few days. This treatment gives your intestines a break from digesting solid food and time to heal.
Most people who have acute diverticulitis don’t require surgery. However, there are a few exceptions where surgery may be needed:
- When abscesses have formed, and antibiotics aren’t successful at treating them
- When abscesses are very large—a risk factor for re-developing acute diverticulitis, which may carry serious complications
If You Have Diverticulosis, What Should You Avoid Eating?
Diets low in red meat and high in dietary fiber may lower the risk of diverticulitis. Low-fiber foods include white bread, pasta, rice, eggs, potatoes without the skin, and certain fruits and vegetables. Red meats include beef, lamb, pork, veal, venison and goat.
To reduce your risk of developing diverticulitis, track your daily intake of fiber. The recommended adult fiber intake is between 20 to 35 grams daily, but most adults get only about half of the recommended amount. Adding fiber supplements to your diet can make it easier to reach this recommended amount. Still, it’s best accomplished by changing your diet to incorporate naturally high-fiber foods.
In the past, health care providers warned people with diverticular conditions to avoid nuts, popcorn and seeds. However, more research has shown that these foods may not be as harmful as once thought. Your primary care provider can help you decide how to change your diet.
Can Diverticulitis Go Away on Its Own?
Mild cases of diverticulitis that cause only mild lower abdominal pain may resolve on their own within a day or two after symptoms begin.
Moderate or severe cases of uncomplicated diverticulitis are often treated at home through diet and oral antibiotics. Complicated cases of diverticulitis may require hospitalization, including intravenous antibiotics and possible surgery.
If you experience symptoms of diverticulitis, it’s important to seek medical attention—especially if you’ve been diagnosed with diverticulitis before. Without treatment, patients often experience severe pain, nausea and discomfort.
Over time, they may develop large abscesses, holes and fistulas. Fistulas are abnormal connections between two organs or an organ and another body part. The most common diverticulitis fistula occurs between a woman’s colon and vagina. These complications often require surgical treatment.
Our Specialists Can Help You Stay on Top of Your Digestive Health
Whether preventing diverticulosis or diverticulitis or keeping your condition from worsening or recurring, managing and improving your digestive health is key.
The gastrointestinal specialists at the University of Maryland Medical System have the experience, resources and years of success you need to reduce your risk of developing complications associated with diverticulosis and diverticulitis.
More to Read
- 5 Ways to Improve Gut Health
- What Is the Difference Between Prebiotic and Probiotic Foods?
- Change Up Your Meals With These 5 Easy Food Swaps
