What causes diverticulitis? How it occurs and risk factors

diverticulitis Diverticulosis is an inflammation or infection of the diverticula, which are small sacs in the intestinal tract, caused by diverticulosis. Diverticulitis, typically seen in people over 60 years of age, is responsible for approximately 371,000 emergency department visits annually in the United States.

Untreated, diverticulitis can lead to severe infection, intestinal obstruction, or fistula. Reducing the risk of diverticulosis through lifestyle changes can help prevent diverticulitis.

This article describes the causes, symptoms, risk factors, and prevention of diverticulitis.

What is diverticular disease?

Diverticular disease is the formation of diverticula (sacs or bumps) within the colon. Diverticular disease is often discovered during a colonoscopy, and diverticula appear as holes in the intestinal wall. Approximately 50% of people over the age of 60 have diverticular disease. In most cases, there are no symptoms. Some researchers believe that diverticular disease is associated with a diet low in fiber.

Is diverticulitis a serious disease?

When diverticula become inflamed or infected, it is called diverticulitis. Diverticulitis is classified into simple and complex types. If untreated, complicated diverticulitis can lead to serious health conditions and even death.

Causes of diverticulitis

The exact cause of diverticulitis is not completely understood, but experts believe that when diverticula become obstructed by feces, the mucous membranes become inflamed, leading to microtears, trauma, infection, and ischemia (which can cause damage to organs and the body). This is thought to cause a lack of blood supply to other areas. ). Complicated diverticulitis occurs in about 12% of people with this condition.

What are the main causes of diverticulitis?

Many factors can cause diverticulitis. Diet, lifestyle, genetics, and certain medications can influence the gut microbiome (the environment of microorganisms within the digestive system), leading to chronic inflammation and changes in colon motility, leading to diverticulitis. There is a gender.

Who is most at risk for diverticulitis?

Approximately 5% of patients with diverticulosis are at risk for developing diverticulitis. Most of these people are over the age of 60, but the incidence of this disorder among people ages 40 to 49 has increased by 132% over the past 30 years.

Other factors that can contribute to the development of diverticulitis are:

• race: White Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with diverticulitis than blacks or Latinos.
• sex:Diverticulitis is more common in people under age 60 and assigned male at birth than in people assigned female at birth.
• residence: People living in urban areas and developed countries are more likely to be hospitalized with diverticulitis than other people.
• socio-economic: Hospitalization for diverticulitis is more common in people with lower incomes and lower education levels.

What are the signs of diverticulitis?

Symptoms of simple diverticulitis include left-sided abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. Signs of complicated diverticulitis include:

• severe abdominal pain
• Intestinal perforation (hole in the intestine)
• fistula (abnormal connection between two organs or passageways)
• Abdominal abscess (abdominal wound)
• peritonitis (infection of the abdominal wall)

If you have a history of diverticulosis and have severe abdominal pain with fever and shaking chills, you should see your health care provider right away.

Can diet cause diverticulitis?

Until recently, it was thought that foods high in residue, such as popcorn, seeds, corn, and nuts, may be responsible for the development of diverticulitis. However, there is no audio data to support this idea. Adding fiber to your diet to prevent constipation may or may not help reduce your risk of diverticulitis.

Is diverticulitis hereditary?

There is increasing evidence that diverticulitis can be inherited. Diverticulosis is a prerequisite for diverticulitis, and some people develop chronic inflammation that leads to complicated diverticulitis even when they are asymptomatic.

The TNFSF15 gene controls inflammation, and mutations in this gene may be particularly responsible for people experiencing early onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and diverticulitis. Additionally, mutations in the LAMB4 gene may reduce colonic motility (the passage of waste products through the intestines), increasing the risk of diverticulitis.

Although further research is needed to verify whether diverticulitis is hereditary, there is evidence that environmental and genetic factors cause this disorder.

What causes diverticulitis to recur?

Approximately 4% to 10% of patients with diverticulosis have a condition known as smoldering diverticulitis. Despite taking antibiotics, these people have pain, increased white blood cell (WBC) counts, fever, and a computed tomography (CT) scan shows evidence of diverticulitis. In addition, the recurrence rate of diverticulitis is:

• The recurrence rate is 8% and occurs within 1 year after recovery from the initial diverticulitis, and 20% occur within 20 years.
• After a second recurrence, the risk of recurrence is 18% at 1 year and 55% at 3 years.
• After the third relapse, the risk of recurrence is 40% after 3 years.

Factors contributing to diverticulitis recurrence include:

• Developing diverticulitis at a young age
• Extent of intestinal involvement
• Family history of diverticulitis
• smoking
• being a man
• be obese

Although some people experience flare-ups, complications from diverticulitis (such as perforation) occur more often during the first episode than during subsequent episodes.

Additional risk factors for diverticulitis

Lifestyle plays a role in the development of diverticulitis. Below are modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to diverticulitis.

Although more research is needed, statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs), metformin (anti-diabetic drugs), and calcium channel blockers (hypertensive drugs) may reduce the risk of diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis prevention tips

If you have been diagnosed with diverticular disease, the following tips may help prevent diverticulitis.

• maintain a healthy weight
• do daily exercise
• no smoking
• eat less red meat
• 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed
• stay hydrated
• Reduce NSAID use if possible

summary

Diverticulitis is inflammation or infection of the diverticula, small sacs in the colon, due to diverticular disease. Complicated diverticulitis can lead to serious illness. If left untreated, it can lead to death. Although the cause is not completely understood, environmental and genetic factors influence the prevalence of diverticulitis.

Living a healthy lifestyle is one way to prevent diverticulitis. If you have been diagnosed with diverticular disease, tell your health care provider about new abdominal pain, fever, chills, or blood in your stool.