Diverticulitis Symptoms, Diet, Foods To Avoid & Treatment

Diverticulitis picturesDiverticulitis-A complication of digestive system.

Diverticulitis is a common digestive disease that involves the formation of pouches(diverticulosis)on the outside of colon.

Diverticulitis is a condition that occurs when these pouches become inflamed. The exact cause of this pouch formation is not known however eating low fiber diet is one of the cause.

All those conditions that leads to increased intraluminal colonic pressure can cause this disease.

Common Symptoms of Diverticulitis

The first symptoms of diverticulitis seen in most patiensts is;

  • abdominal pain with bloating and cramping

However some patients may have no symptoms at all.

The patient of diverticulitis often presents with

  • pain in the left lower quadrant
  • fever
  • chills
  • leukocytosis.
  • Some patients also have nausea and diarrhea
  • others may have constipation.
  • Tenderness is present around the left side of abdomen.

The presence of the symptoms depend upon the extent of infection as well as complications caused due to inflammation of the pouches.Sometimes blood in stool can also be seen.

There is a well established relation between diet of a person and incidence of diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis Foods To Avoid

If you notice the symptoms of Diverticulitis or you have been diagnosed with it, make sure you avoid foods that are low in fiber.

Foods like beans and peas, coarse grains, coconut, popcorn, dried fruits, skins on vegetables and fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, pickles, and cucumbers should be avoided

Diverticulitis Diet

As mentioned earlier low fiber food that lacks the dietary fiber is considered as diverticulitis diet as it predisposes the individuals to diverticulitis disease.

Foods such as seeds, nust and corn were considered in the past as an aggravating factors for this disease but research have shown that they do not aggravate but it is now been thought that high intake of nuts and corn may help to reduce the incidence of disease in adult males.

Diverticulitis Cure

The cure of diverticulitis usually depends upon the severity of the disease.

Most of the simple uncomplicated cases respond to the therapy consisting of bowel rest and antibiotics.

The patient is asked to take complete bed rest with only fluid intake for two to three days after that most of the doctors advice more high fiber diet to avoid the recurrence of the disease.

In severe cases, diverticulitis surgery is highly essential.

Please consult your doctor for medical advice if you notice any of the above symtoms.