Diverticular is a disease that involves the appearance of pockets or small bulges in the intestine walls (NHS, 2016). The pockets may become infected or inflamed resulting into diverticulitis. Some of the symptoms of diverticular include bloating; and pain in the lower abdomen. Many people who suffer from diverticular do not exhibit any symptoms. In such a case the condition is referred to as diverticulosis. On the other hand, diverticulitis has some serious symptoms that include fever; diarrhea; and severe pain in the abdomen.
The diverticular disease occurs on the walls of the colon. The responsibility of the colon is to remove waste from the human body (WebMD, 2016). The colon is a part of the large intestine, and is a very important part of the gastrointestinal system. The causes of the diverticular disease are unknown, but many people think that the main cause could be a low fiber diet. Fiber is found in vegetables and fruits (NIH, 2016). The human body cannot digest fiber. The purpose of fiber in the human body is to absorb water within the colon so as to make the bowel movements easy. Foods that have low fiber end up causing constipation. Constipation is the process of passing hard stools. Constipation makes it very difficult for human beings to pass stools and can be accompanied by pain. The muscles end up straining when a person tries to pass stool. The straining of these muscles can cause the formation of diverticular within the colon. The presence of bacteria or stool within the pockets leads to diverticulitis.
The diverticular disease can cause serious problems to people with severe symptoms. These problems include serious infections; bleeding; fistula; rupturing of the colon; blocking the digestive system; and ripping of the pouches (NIH, 2016). The diverticular disease manifests itself as diverticulosis or diverticulitis. People with diverticulosis do not have symptoms while the people with diverticulitis experience many symptoms.
The diverticular disease mostly affects the ageing population. Many people begin having it from age 40. Every decade increases the chance of a person contracting the disease. At the age of 80 almost every person gets the diverticular disease (NIH, 2016). The countries in Europe and North America report high rates of diverticular disease whereas the countries in Asia and Africa have lower rates. As a result, the diverticular disease is often termed as the Western disease (Boundless, 2016). Diet and genetics are said to be the major causes of the diverticular disease. The people in the Western countries consume less fiber compared to the people in the Eastern countries.
There are certain risk factors that increase the chances of people contracting the diverticular disease. These factors include constipation; genetics; increase in age; a low fiber diet; connective tissue disorders; and the high consumption of red meat and meat (Boundless, 2016). These factors make it hard for the colonic muscles to expel stool. As a result, a lot of strength is required by the colonic muscles. An increase in pressure leads to the formation of pockets on the walls of the colon over a period of time. Age decreases the strength of the colon and increases the number of contractions that are required to pass stool. The lack of enough fibers creates protrusions on the weak colon wall.
The patients suffering from the diverticular disease are advised to take foods that are rich in fiber. They can also be advised to take fiber supplements. Fibers help in the prevention of constipation. The patients can be advised to avoid nuts, seeds, corn, and fried foods. The complicated cases of the disease require medical care offered by experts. Some of the treatment methods that can be used to treat the complicated condition include surgery; antibiotics; and intravenous fluids (Boundless, 2016).
References
Boundless, (2016). Diverticulosis is the Condition of Having Out-pocketings in the Colon Wall Due to Weaknesses of the Muscle Layer called Diverticular. Boundless. Retrieved from: https://www.boundless.com/users/371805/textbooks/human-physiology-kcc/the-digestive-system-23/digestive-system-diseases-disorders-injury-and-clinical-cases-228/diverticular-disease-1134-10320/
NHS, (2016). Diverticular Disease and Diverticulitis. NHS. Retrieved from: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diverticular-disease-and-diverticulitis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
NIH, (2016). What I Need to Know about Diverticular Disease. NIH. Retrieved from: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/diverticular-disease/Pages/ez.aspx
WebMD, (2016). Diverticular Disease. WebMD. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/diverticular-disease
