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Mayo Clinic gastrointestinal specialists have extensive experience diagnosing and treating diverticulitis. Mayo Clinic doctors evaluate and treat more than 1,000 patients who have diverticulitis each year. This experience, coupled with ongoing research, helps Mayo doctors stay at the cutting edge of diagnosis and treatment. Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is ranked No. 1 in Digestive Disorders by U.S. News & World Report.
Since other conditions may mimic diverticulitis, accurate diagnosis is an important first step to treating the condition. Initially, gastroenterologists seek to rule out diseases that cause similar symptoms, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Computed tomography (CT) scans provide images to diagnose diverticulitis and help physicians locate the inflammation. Doctors may check a patient's abdomen for tenderness and use blood tests to check for elevated white blood cell counts, a sign of infection.
Mild cases of diverticulitis can be treated with changes in diet, rest and antibiotics. But recurring diverticulitis and more serious cases may require surgery to remove the diseased portion of the colon. Read more about diverticulitis treatment options.
Diverticula are small, bulging pouches that develop in the wall of the large intestine (colon). Usually they are most numerous in the sigmoid colon. Many people develop diverticula (a condition called diverticulosis), especially after age 50, and in most individuals they cause no problem. However when diverticula become infected or inflamed (a condition called diverticulitis), they can cause pain, fever and nausea. Diverticulitis ranges from mild pain to life-threatening infection.
Only 15 to 20 percent of people who have diverticulosis develop diverticulitis. The major factors associated with diverticulitis include advancing age and lack of dietary fiber. In many cases people can help prevent this disease simply by including more high-fiber foods in their diet.
Diverticulitis is common in industrialized nations such as the United States, where the average diet is high in refined carbohydrates and low in fiber. Physicians first observed the condition in the United States in the early 1900s, around the time processed foods became a mainstay of the American diet. Too little fiber contributes to small, hard stools that cause increased pressure in the colon.
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