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Diverticulosis
Diverticulosis - What You Need To Know?
What is diverticulosis/diverticulitis?
What are the symptoms?
What is the cause of diverticulosis?
How is diverticulosis treated?
Diverticulosis - What You Need To Know?
Diverticulosis of the colon is a common
condition that afflicts about 50% of the population by age 60, and
nearly all by the age 80. Only a small percentage of those with
diverticulosis have symptoms, and even fewer will ever require surgery.
What is diverticulosis/diverticulitis?
Diverticula are pockets that develop in the
colon wall, usually on the left side of the abdomen. Diverticulosis
describes the presence of these pockets. Inflammation of these pockets
is called DIVERTICULITIS.
What are the symptoms?
The major symptoms of diverticulosis are
abdominal pain (usually in the lower left abdomen), diarrhoea, cramps,
alteration of bowel habit and occasionally, severe rectal bleeding.
These symptoms occur in a small percentage of patients with the
condition, and are sometimes difficult to distinguish from another
common bowel condition - Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Diverticulitis - an infection of the
diverticula - may cause one or more of the following symptoms: pain,
chills, fever and change in bowel habits. More intense symptoms are
associated with serious complications such as perforation, abscess or
fistula formation (abnormal connection with other organs)
What is the cause of diverticulosis?
Indications are that a low fibre diet over the
years creates increased colon pressure and results in pockets of
diverticula. Genetic inheritance may also be important.
How is diverticulosis treated?
Symptomatic diverticulosis is usually treated
by diet and occasionally medications to help control pain, cramps and
changes in bowel habits. Increasing the amount of dietary fibre
(grains, legumes, vegetables, etc.) and sometimes restricting certain
foods, reduces the pressure in the colon, and complications may be less
likely to arise. Sometimes however such a diet particularly if it
includes nuts or seed containing foods may aggravate the condition.
Diverticulitis requires more intense
management. Mild cases may be managed without hospitalization, and
treatment may consist of oral antibiotics, dietary restrictions and
possibly stool softeners. Severe cases require hospitalization with
intravenous antibiotics and strict dietary restrants. Most acute
attacks can be relieved with such methods.
Surgery is reserved for recurrent episodes, complications or severe attacks where there is little or no response to medication.
If surgery is necessary, usually part of the
colon - commonly the left or sigmoid colon - is removed and the colon
is joined (or "anastomosed") again to the rectum. Sometimes a temporary
artificial opening (stoma) may be necessary.
Related Links
Related Downloads
Authorised: Adrian Polglase
Reviewed: Monday, February 27, 2006
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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gas
July 18, 2007 |
| We’ve all experienced intestinal gas, some more than others. While belching, bloating, and flatulence are considered normal, the urge to pass gas can cause social embarrassment, discomfort and pain. Although you can’t stop gas from forming, you may be able to alleviate the symptoms through diet, lifestyle changes and medications. If you experience persistent gas pains, you should talk to your doctor.
For more information on intestinal gas, visit the ACG Web site at www.acg.gi.org
Source: American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)
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Bowel cancer finding brings screening closer
July 18, 2007 |
| RESEARCHERS have identified for the first time a gene that triggers bowel cancer, a move that could bring closer a genetic screening test for the disease.
The gene, carried by about half the population, appears to increase the risk of developing bowel cancer by 20per cent.
Bowel cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, accounting for about 13,000 new cases a year.
So far, faulty genes have only been implicated in about 5 per cent of all cancers, and 5 per cent of bowel cancers.
In the case of bowel cancers, the genetic defects so far associated with the disease are all thought to be associated with faulty cellular repair mechanisms, meaning that the body loses the ability to kill off cells that start to divide abnormally.
Bowel cancer is also the second most common cause of cancer death in Australia, accounting for 4372 deaths in 2003, or 11.5 per cent of the total fatalities. It is notoriously hard to pick up for a number of reasons, including the difficulty of picking up warning signs - such as blood in the faeces - and patients' reluctance to see their doctors.
This year the federal Government began rolling out a screening program, costing $43 million over three years, whereby older Australians send in a faecal sample for testing.
If blood that could indicate a cancer is detected in the sample, the patient may be called in for further examinations.
The latest findings, published in international journal Nature Genetics, suggest a faulty gene found on chromosome 8 may trigger bowel cancer, and account for 10per cent of all cases of the disease. |
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| Let's Beat Bowel Cancer |
| An initiative of Cabrini Health, Let's Beat Bowel Cancer is a not-for-profit, community awareness program dedicated to saving lives through improved bowel cancer research, education and prevention.
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