The human intestine is responsible for the digestion and absorption of food, and also removes toxins from the body. Immune processes and the synthesis of peptide hormones are associated with its work. Therefore, it is very important that this body is healthy and fully able to fulfill its functions. However, often pathological processes in it develop almost imperceptibly or symptoms appear that at first do not cause any concern. And during the examination, a pathology is discovered, which the person did not even suspect.
Such a disease may be diverticular bowel disease. It is worth noting that, strangely enough, it is more common in developed countries, and as a rule, in older people. Much less often they suffer from people under 40 years old. So what is this disease, what are its symptoms and how is it treated? Let's consider further.
What does diverticular disease mean?
First we define what a diverticulum is. It forms in the intestinal wall, where blood vessels enter the circular muscle. When the pressure in the intestine rises, then in weak areas the mucosa is expelled into the lumen of the intestine between the muscle fibers. The so-called protrusion of a saccular shape is formed. Their size can be from 1 to 2 centimeters. So they are called diverticula. Diverticulums can form in different parts of the intestinal tract, but most often this happens in the large intestine.
All diseases in the international classification have their own code; diverticular disease is no exception. ICD-10 includes this pathology under the code K57.
This disease can occur both asymptomatically and with an inflammatory process and complications. As mentioned earlier, the danger of developing this pathology is highest in elderly patients. At the age of 40, it is much less common.
Depending on how the disease progresses, it can be classified as follows:
- Diverticulosis is asymptomatic.
- Diverticulosis with symptoms.
- Diverticulitis with complications.
Regardless of the course of the disease, if such a diagnosis is made, it is necessary to be observed by a doctor. If it is launched and it takes a complicated form, it can be fatal if surgery is not done in a timely manner. We will talk about this a bit later. Now let's look at what symptoms can signal that there is a diverticular bowel disease. How to independently recognize an impending problem?
Symptoms of diverticular disease
A disease such as diverticular disease (sigmoid colon, for example) is most often asymptomatic in the early stages, especially in young people. Only occasionally can such complaints appear:
- Constipation.
- Abdominal cramps.
- Stomach enlargement.
Such symptoms can be, if diverticular disease proceeds without complications, in this case there are no pronounced manifestations of the disease.
If diverticulosis progresses, then the symptoms appear much brighter. In this case, complaints may look like this:
- Nausea appears.
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain, most often on the left side. It is pronounced upon palpation.
- Body temperature rises.
- Chills appear, weakness.
- Intoxication of the body, headaches.
The more complicated the case, the more pronounced the symptoms of the disease. If you suspect that you have a diverticular disease, the symptoms described earlier should alert you. It is important not to miss the moment and seek help in a timely manner in order to avoid serious complications.
Why does diverticular disease of the sigmoid colon or other departments occur? Let's get it right.
Causes of the development of diverticular disease
Do not forget that a disease such as diverticular disease of the colon is primarily characteristic of the elderly. Therefore, one of the causes of this pathology is associated with age, namely, a violation of cellular metabolism in the muscle layer of the intestine.
The following factors can also be attributed to the reasons:
- Improper development of connective tissue and impaired synthesis of collagen fibers.
- Poor nutrition, namely inadequate intake of fiber and an excess of fatty, floury foods in the diet.
- Inadequate reduction of the intestinal wall and untimely bowel movement.
- Excessive gas accumulation in the intestines.
- Spasms of the muscular wall of the intestine, vascular pressure.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle.
- Overweight.
Now you need to figure out how to recognize a pathology such as diverticular disease of the colon.
Diagnosis of diverticular bowel disease
Diagnosis of the disease is as follows. First of all, the patient must be interviewed and examined. Having carefully listened to the complaints, the doctor already suggests the presence of the disease, however, for a more thorough analysis, it is necessary to undergo examinations. Only after the diagnosis of diverticular bowel disease is diagnosed, treatment can be prescribed.
For a thorough examination, laboratory and instrumental methods are used:
- A general blood test can show the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Anemia will indicate possible internal bleeding.
- Coprogram.
- Colonoscopy
- Irrigoscopy.
- Contrast x-ray examination.
When examining the patient, you need to pay attention to his eating preferences, the lifestyle he leads, as well as the frequency of constipation and abdominal pain.
Laboratory tests, a blood test and a coprogram can confirm the presence of an inflammatory process and internal bleeding.
Colonoscopy can detect a source of intestinal bleeding. If the patient is diagnosed with an acute form of diverticular disease, he needs to do a CT scan. In this case, the intestinal walls and the state of the tissues that are located nearby will be visible.
Apply this type of research as cystography. It is used for examination of the vesicenteric fistula. Intravenous urography is performed to determine if the ureter is involved in the inflammatory process.
Angiography is used for bleeding from a diverticulum.
After a thorough examination of the patient, the doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes appropriate treatment. How diverticular colon disease is treated, we will consider further.
Methods of treating diverticular disease
If diverticulosis proceeds with actively expressed symptoms, then physical activity is contraindicated. Treatment of diverticular disease of the colon completely depends on how the disease proceeds.
The following treatment may be prescribed:
- Outpatient therapy is indicated if there is no intoxication of the body, while the white blood cells are not elevated, but there are clinical manifestations of the disease.
- Inpatient therapy in the department of coloproctology is necessary if the disease is difficult.
- If there is a threat to the patient's life as a result of complicated diverticular bowel disease, surgical intervention is indicated.
And now a little more about each type of treatment.
If there are clinical manifestations of the disease, but there is no inflammatory process, you can prescribe a diet and the following medications:
- Antispasmodic drugs (No-Shpa, Spazmol, Mebeverin).
- Medications that normalize the intestinal microflora (Linex, Bactisubtil, Acipol).
- Enzymes ("Festal", "Creon").
If there is a vivid clinical manifestation of diverticular disease, the following is prescribed:
- Gastrointestinal motility stimulants (Motilium, Pasazhiks, Motilak).
- Antibiotics (Sulgin, Biseptolum).
- Intestinal antiseptics (Intestopan, Intetriks, Enterosediv, Sumetrolim, Ersefuril).
- Laxatives (Dufalac, Normase).
Surgery is possible if:
- Diverticular disease of the large intestine caused complications.
- There are fistulas.
- There are chronic accumulations in tissues mixed with blood and lymph.
- Chronic diverticular disease often worsens.
- Severe diverticular disease is not amenable to complex treatment. This is possible with a repeated exacerbation of the disease.
When choosing a method of surgical intervention, the following factors must be taken into account:
- What is the nature of the complications.
- How widespread the process is.
- What changes as a result of the inflammatory process have occurred in the muscular wall of the intestine and surrounding tissues.
- Is there perifocal inflammation or peritonitis.
- What concomitant diseases does the patient have, since most often these are elderly people.
Surgical intervention is carried out in 2 stages. At the first, the affected area of the intestine is removed. At the second stage, anastomoses are formed between segments of the intestine in order to restore its continuity.
It should be remembered that diverticulums after surgery or successful treatment may reappear. Therefore, you should follow a diet, which we will discuss later.
Diet for diverticular colon disease
As we noted, in the treatment of any type of diverticular disease, the doctor will first prescribe a diet. If you stick to it, then you can greatly facilitate the course of the disease or prevent the development of its complications.
What foods are recommended if a diverticular disease is diagnosed? Diet is a balanced diet. The menu should contain the following useful products:
- Whole grain cereals.
- Sprouted grain.
- Whole grain bread, cereal.
- A large number of fruits and vegetables, both fresh and heat-treated.
- Dried fruits.
- Dairy products.
It is also necessary to drink a sufficient amount of liquid per day, at least one and a half to two liters of pure water.
Products that are recommended to be excluded from the diet:
- Sugar, sweets.
- Strong tea, coffee.
- Carbonated and alcoholic drinks.
- Spices.
- Fresh bread.
- Semi-finished products.
- Fast food.
It should be noted that foods with poorly digestible components cannot be eaten. This, for example, kiwi, grapes, seeds. If you eat fish, you should carefully clean it of small bones.
Doctors recommend using bran, gradually increasing the dosage from 5 to 20 g per day.
If you do not follow a diet, then the disease will progress significantly, and complications may appear.
With a diagnosis of diverticular disease, diet is one of the most effective means of preventing complications and facilitating the ongoing process.
Dangerous complications of diverticular disease
Diverticular disease of the colon can cause dangerous complications that can become a serious threat to the patient's life. These complications include:
- Bleeding at the site of ulcerative formations. One of the symptoms of bleeding is blood clots in the bowel movement.
- The development of intestinal obstruction, since due to protrusion, the intestinal lumen may narrow.
- Education abscesses. Pus can enter the abdominal cavity.
- Local necrotic changes, as a result - peritonitis.
- Perforation of the wall of a nearby organ with the formation of fistulous passage. As a rule, these are infections of the urinary system, in women the infection can pass into the vagina.
Prevention of diverticular disease
A large number of studies have been conducted to determine how to prevent the development of intestinal diverticulosis and how to prevent the disease from progressing. Scientists have come to these conclusions: if you adhere to a diet with a high fiber content, then diverticular disease will not progress. People who consumed at least 32 grams of fiber per day have the best results. Insoluble fiber is primarily vegetables and fruits.
The benefits of physical activity in the prevention of diverticular bowel disease were also noted.
The effects of alcohol, smoking, and caffeine consumption were studied in conjunction with a diet rich in vegetables and fruits. In this case, a decrease in the efficiency of the use of plant fiber was noted.
It must be remembered that the patient should be warned that it is necessary to gradually increase the amount of this component in the diet, it is also desirable to exclude the harmful products that we talked about earlier. It is best to abandon bad habits so that the diet has a positive effect on the body.
Measures to prevent diverticular bowel disease include timely treatment of disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. Prevention of constipation and an active lifestyle will help to avoid this unpleasant pathology.
What is the prognosis of treatment?
If diverticular disease is asymptomatic, surgery is not required. She may no longer be disturbed if the patient adheres to the diet and doctor's recommendations.
If the disease is in an acute stage, then conservative treatment is prescribed, which, as a rule, the patient tolerates well, and you do not have to resort to surgery. Only 15 percent of cases require surgery.
A recurrence of acute diverticulitis is considered possible in 1 out of 4 cases. Repeated exacerbations of the disease are much worse tolerated. In this case, the body does not respond to conservative drug treatment. In such situations, surgery is often indicated. After an uncomplicated second attack, a scheduled operation can be prescribed. With repeated acute diverticulitis, the mortality rate is much higher.
If the surgeon's help is required, then it is advisable not to postpone it, since postponing the operation increases the risk of death by up to 18%. In the presence of perforation in the abdominal cavity with peritonitis, the patient must be urgently operated on, since the level of fatal outcomes in such cases is 35%.
There are studies that confirm that in young patients, the risk of relapse is much higher than in older patients. In patients with reduced immunity, the recurrence of attacks of diverticular disease is higher than in people with normal immunity.
After surgery in 10% of cases, repeated surgery is required. In 20% of patients, if there was bleeding, it may recur after some period of time. In 33% of cases, a repeat of the inflammatory process is possible.
In general, we can say that with timely treatment and subsequent diet and regular prevention of intestinal disorders, a good prognosis can be made.
Alternative methods of treatment
Since ancient times, there are many recipes for traditional medicine for various diseases. Diverticular disease of the colon or any other part of the intestine is no exception.
These recipes can only be used after consulting a doctor. And it’s better, after a full examination, because the main thing is not to harm the body.
Treatment of diverticular disease with folk remedies can be effective only if, in addition to them, the patient adheres to the recommended diet and leads a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some recipes and recommendations:
- Oil and flax seeds. Before using the seeds, pour them with warm water at the rate of one tablespoon per glass of water. After some time, the seeds will swell, and the liquid will become like jelly. This composition perfectly protects the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, and also improves its work. It is necessary to use on an empty stomach one tablespoon.
- A storehouse of essential fiber for a disease such as diverticular disease is plantain seed. They surpass oats and barley in the amount of valuable substances. Regular use of seeds allows you to establish the work of the gastrointestinal tract, improves peristalsis. You must use them in this way. Pour one tablespoon with a glass of water or juice, you can use yogurt. This mixture should be drunk immediately. After 30 minutes, you must take a glass of water. A sufficient amount of fluid is the main condition when using plantain seeds. The seeds inside swell and do their useful work. You need to drink three times a day until you feel an improvement.
- According to popular recipes, it is very important to cleanse the intestines from toxins, fecal stones, from the decay products of food. For the intestines, it is very beneficial to cleanse the collection of herbs. These are flowers and branches of thorns. Three tablespoons of the collection must be poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted, for this it is better to use a thermos, since the infusion should stand in the heat of night. Then strain it and drink 3 times a day, one hour before meals, 1 glass each. Within three days, you must take this remedy. If constipation appears, you do not need to drink the infusion. Drink plenty of water and yogurt, at least a liter per day.
- In the acute course of diverticular disease, it is recommended to use the following alternative prescription. You need to take 100 grams of peony root, mistletoe grass, nettle leaves. Two tablespoons of the collection pour a liter of cold water and put on fire. Bring to a boil, but do not boil. Then cool, strain and take one glass twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, after eating, an hour should pass. A decoction can be used for enemas. With hemorrhoids can not be used. Continue treatment for 10-14 days.
- A good remedy for the treatment of diverticular disease based on the bark of a rusty elm. It is prepared as follows. Half a teaspoon of bark in powder form and a teaspoon of granular bark are poured with one glass of water. On low heat, everything should boil for 20 minutes. Then strain, bring the volume of liquid to one glass and take 200 ml in the morning and evening.
Before using folk remedies, be sure to consult your doctor. Sometimes doctors themselves may recommend some effective drugs that can be used with medications. It is also worth noting that any treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist, especially in cases that are accompanied by the manifestation of acute symptoms.