Choose a specific disease that affects the digestive system Diverticulitis. In your post, address the following:
A brief overview of the disease (causes, symptoms, prevalence).
How the disease impacts the structure and function of the digestive system.
Any recent advancements in treatment or management of the disease
Symptoms:
The most common symptom is sudden, often severe pain in the lower left side of the abdomen (where the sigmoid colon is located).
Other symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, and change in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea).
Prevalence: Diverticulosis is extremely common, affecting over 50% of people over the age of 60 in Western countries. Only a small percentage of those with diverticulosis (around 5-10%) will go on to develop the acute inflammation known as diverticulitis.
Diverticulitis directly compromises the structure and function of the large intestine (colon), which is primarily responsible for absorbing water and forming feces.
Diverticulosis (Precursor): The primary structural change is the development of diverticula—sac-like out-pouchings of the colon wall. These typically occur in the sigmoid and descending colon.
Structure: The pouches push through the colon's muscular layers, but their walls are very thin and weak, making them susceptible to injury or rupture.
Diverticulitis (Acute Event): During an acute flare, the inflamed pouches cause several structural complications:
Inflammation and Edema: The colon wall becomes red, swollen, and thick.
Abscess Formation: Infection can be walled off, forming pockets of pus (abscesses) outside the colon wall.
Perforation: In severe cases, the pouch wall ruptures, spilling intestinal contents into the abdominal cavity, leading to life-threatening peritonitis.
Strictures and Fistulas: Chronic inflammation can cause the colon wall to thicken, leading to a stricture (narrowing) that obstructs fecal passage. It can also cause a fistula (an abnormal connection) to form, most commonly between the colon and the bladder (colovesical fistula).
Impaired Motility: The inflammation and swelling interfere with the normal peristaltic action of the colon muscles, often leading to temporary constipation or, less commonly, diarrhea and urgency.
Malabsorption (Indirect): While the colon's primary role isn't nutrient absorption, severe, chronic diverticulitis requiring extensive colon resection (surgery to remove part of the colon) can affect water and electrolyte balance, resulting in chronic diarrhea.
Systemic Symptoms: The infection triggers a systemic immune response, causing functional symptoms like fever, chills, and general malaise.
The management of diverticulitis has evolved significantly, shifting away from immediate, aggressive intervention toward more conservative, personalized approaches, especially for uncomplicated cases.
Shift in Antibiotic Use:
Advancement: For uncomplicated acute diverticulitis (no abscess or perforation), recent research suggests that antibiotics may not be necessary for all patients.
Impact: Treatment now often starts with simple bowel rest (clear liquids) and pain control. This reduces the risk of antibiotic resistance and side effects, while reserving antibiotics for patients with clear signs of systemic infection or complicated disease.
Diverticulitis is the inflammation or infection of small, bulging pouches, called diverticula, that can form in the lining of the large intestine (colon).
Causes:
The underlying cause of diverticula (a condition called Diverticulosis) is generally linked to a low-fiber diet and aging. This causes increased pressure on the colon walls during bowel movements, leading small pockets to bulge outward through weak spots in the muscle layers.
Diverticulitis occurs when one of these pouches becomes blocked (often by stool), leading to an infection, inflammation, or perforation of the pouch wall.