What is diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis is when some of the people with diverticulosis develop infections or an inflammation in these little sacs that protrude out. Only a small number of people with diverticulosis have diverticulitis.

The symptoms of diverticulitis are usually abdominal pain. Usually in the left, lower part of the abdomen. Pain, sometimes you can have fever, and tenderness; which means if you push on the abdomen you have pain with the pushing on it. These are the most common symptoms.

If it becomes very severe then it requires putting the patient in the hospital for treatment. The diverticulitis can become perforated, which is ... Only a small number of people with diverticulitis have perforation, which is a serious condition where there's a small little hole or a tear in one of these little sacs that leaks the contents of the bowel into the abdomen. That is a serious condition that usually requires surgery.

Diverticulitis, most cases of diverticulitis are acute. It's a sudden attack, the patients know about it. But a small number of patients have recurrent, acute diverticulitis. They have recurrent episodes of these attacks. A small number of them can develop chronic diverticular disease, which is kind of a low grade degree of diverticulitis with some mild and chronic low grade discomfort. So it is possible for diverticulitis to become chronic to some extent.