Diverticular disease, more commonly referred to as “diverticulosis,” is an ailment that will plagued half of all Americans before the age of 60. Past that age, there is nearly a 100% chance that a person will develop this disease. Despite its pervasive rate of development, only a fraction of people exhibit any sort of symptom associated with diverticulosis.
Diverticulosis is a medical term used to describe diverticula, pockets found along the wall of a person’s colon. Diverticulitis is what happens when these pockets succumb to inflammation or an infection. As previously mentioned, most people who have diverticular disease show no symptoms; they are dealing with the inactive phase, known as “diverticulosis.” If someone happens to be dealing with active diverticular disease, she or he may exhibit one or more of the following symptoms.
Common Symptoms of Active Diverticular Disease a.k.a. Diverticulitis
- Diarrhea. Rather than producing solid stool when using the bathroom, the person’s stools lack definition and may be entirely liquid.
- Constipation. While diarrhea results in fluid stool, constipation swings the exact opposite direction. People suffering from constipation produce stool that is devoid of moisture-their stools are hard and dry yet smaller than normal. Furthermore, constipation manifests as a reduced need to excrete stool; a constipated person needs to relieve himself in this manner less than three times in a given week.
- Stomach Pain or Cramps. While this duo of ailments is the leading symptom among people suffering from diverticulitis, the pain such a person suffers often makes for a poor measure of assessing the condition’s severity. In some cases, the level of pain suffered by the diverticulitis candidate can be inversely proportionate to the overall diverticulitis, e.g. some people with a mild case can report excruciating pain within the stomach area.
- Abdominal Bloating. The part around the person’s abdomen feels unnaturally tight or full.
- Steatorrhoea. This condition’s name literally means “fatty stool” and means that an above normal amount of fat can be found within the stools of its victims. Stools containing excessive amounts of fat tend to appear as bulky masses of lightly colored material and are also buoyant, causing them to float.
- Nausea. When the diverticula are both infected and inflamed, then sensations of nausea may present themselves. Put simply, nausea is a sensation within the body that tends to serve as a vital warning before a person expels his food through his mouth.
- Vomiting. This would be the follow-up symptom of the previously mentioned symptom. Basically, the digestive area becomes so irritated that the body is forcibly compelled to evacuate its contents, whether or not the person wants to. In addition to the obvious inability of the person to keep his food down, the stomach acid that comes along with whatever was in the stomach can be damaging to the person’s teeth.
- Fever. The initial inflammation or infection off the one part of the body causes a cascade that results in raising the internal temperature of the body.
- Flatulence and Distention. The person’s body is unable to properly manage its internal gasses, resulting in cases of bloating within the stomach, possibly to a painful degree, and also frequent bouts of releasing those gases.
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- Polyuria. Meaning “many urine,” this symptom manifests as either a frequent need to urinate or producing an excessive amount of urine in a single session. Generally, a urinary output exceeding 3 liters over the span of 24 hours would be classified as a case of polyuria in an adult; children and teenagers may be polyuriacs if they produce an excess of 2 liters over the same amount of time.
- Dysuria. Meaning “bad urine” or “difficult urine,” this symptom manifests as a sensation of pain during the act of urination. While the term has been used to describe difficulty in passing urine, it is most commonly used when dealing with people who experience any sort of pain when passing urine.
- Pyuiria. Meaning “pus urine,” this symptom manifests itself with the presence of pus, dead white blood cells, within the urine. The urine of a pyuiriac may appear cloudy due to the addition of the white pus.Issues with Urination. There are three potential issues that diverticulitis patients may suffer from when it comes to urination, often in tandem with one another. These urinary problems emerge as a result of inflammation of the diverticula, causing the bladder or ureters within the body to become irritated.
The actual severity of these many symptoms is entirely dependent upon the level of inflammation or infection within the diverticula. If you suspect that you may have diverticulitis, likely because you seem to be exhibiting one or more of these symptoms, it would in your best interest to check with a doctor rather than diagnosing the problem on your own. Just because you seem to be exhibiting some of the symptoms of diverticulitis does not necessarily mean that you have come down with a case of diverticulitis; you may simply be dealing with one or more other disorders known to affect the gastrointestinal area. For example, someone who happens to exhibit symptoms of polyuria may also suffer from polydipsia, a condition where they have an excessive level of thirst; thus, the person uses the bathroom more often than a normal person while even expelling a normal amount of liquid simply because he imbibes a greater volume of liquid than a normal person does.
In most instances where a person is confirmed to be suffering from diverticulitis, a combination of antibiotics and a liquid diet will be prescribed for the person to abide by until such time that his diverticula are no longer infected or inflamed. It is also possible to diminish the chances of a flare up of this particular condition by abstaining from some foods and leaning towards a higher fiber diet.
For more information, you can visit the following article from Web MD: https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-is-diverticulitis#1
