Cause Of Diverticulitis

 

As they grow older, most people in the United States will develop small pouches that bulge outward through weak spots in the colon, which is the section of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum. These pouches which are individually referred to as a diverticulum and collectively referred to as diverticula bulge outward through weak spots the colon in much the same way that sausage pokes out from a broken sausage casing.

Diverticulosis is the condition of having diverticula. It exists in about 10% of people over 40 years of age and about half of those over 60. Diverticulitis, or inflammation of the diverticula, occurs in about 60% of people older than 80. A large number of this group will experience diverticulitis in its acute form.

When the pouches become infected or inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. This happens in 10 to 25 percent of people with diverticulosis. Diverticulosis and diverticulitis are also called diverticular disease.

Diverticulitis occurs when diverticula become infected or inflamed. Doctors are not certain what causes the infection. It may begin when stool or bacteria are caught in the diverticula.

An attack of diverticulitis can develop suddenly and without warning.

Medical researchers believe that low-fiber diets cause the diverticulosis that leads to diverticulitis, which was first observed in the United States in the early 1900s. Low fiber diets cause constipation, and constipation causes the muscles to strain to move stool. This straining causes increased pressure in the colon and probably causes the bulging diverticula pouches.

Diverticular disease is common in developed or industrialized countries--particularly the United States, England, and Australia--where low-fiber diets are widespread. Diverticulitis is quite rare in countries where people eat high-fiber, largely vegetable diets. Foods high in fiber move through the digestive system much more easily and rapidly than low fiber foods.

Because this movement is frequent and easy, people maintain better bowel health and do not suffer from constipation or need to strain their muscled when moving their bowels. It's interesting to note that the early 1900s, when American doctors first observed diverticulitis, were also the time that processed foods were becoming the norm in American diets.

Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour without branand bran, as we all know, is laxative.

There are two kinds of food fibers: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body cannot digest. Some fiber dissolves easily in water and develops a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines; some passes almost unchanged through the intestines. Both kinds of fiber prevent constipation by helping to make stools soft and easy to pass.

In Western countries, diverticular disease most commonly involves the sigmoid colon, which forms a loop that normally lies within the pelvis but can become displaced into the abdominal cavity. Left-sided diverticular disease that involves the sigmoid colon is most common in Western countries, while right-sided diverticulitis occurs more frequently in Asian or African countries.