Diverticular Disease: What is the difference between diverticulosis and diverticulitis?

The direct cause of this disease is unknown although several theories do exist; immune system problems, genetics or environmental factors. Most experts believe that genetics and intestinal bacteria are the developing factors of the disease. Theoretically, the adaptive immune system of an otherwise healthy individual will try to compensate for a deficient innate immune system creating white blood cells to destroy helpful microbes which inadvertently tear down the lining of the intestines causing ulcers, scar tissue and narrowing of the lumen within the intestine causing blockage. ( meded, 2010) Genetically, research has found a gene, NOD2, which produces a mutation and is linked to autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s.

When gallstones are suspected to be the cause of symptoms, the doctor is likely to do an ultrasound exam or CT Scan, the most sensitive and specific test for gallstones. Other exams that may be performed are a Cholescintigraphy a.k.a. HIDA (hepatobiliary iminodiactec acid) Scan, ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), and blood tests.

diverticulitis. The patient has no diet regimen, which may be the likely cause of his

Diverticulitis is an aliment of the colon that affects the inner lining. Approximately 50% of all Americans will experience diverticulitis by the time they reach age 60. Pouches or bulging sacs in the lining become inflamed or infected. The most common site of diverticulitis is the large intestine. A low fiber diet is believed to be responsible for most cases of diverticulitis. Small pieces of feces can become trapped in the pouches and bulging sacs, which then cause the inflammation and/or infection.

The Disease have always been cured through the hospital system, medication, however, recently it has begun a movement stated we should depend less on our medication. Base on statics publish for the center for disease as of 2012, about half of all adults—117 million people—had one or more chronic health conditions. One of four adults had two or more chronic health conditions. Among those disease diversities is one the disease. Diverticulitis is a disease when pouches form in the wall of the colon. If these pouches get inflamed or infected, it is called diverticulitis. Therefore, diverticula have always been a serious disease in the United States; thus there has been several of a reason for causing the disease. Research has dictated

"Diverticulitis is a condition in which diverticuli in the colon rupture. The rupture results in infection in the tissues that surround the colon” (MedicineNet, 2010, para.1). Or at least that’s what MedicineNet.com states that it is. Sometimes what we find on the Internet isn’t as reliable as what we may think. Doing research and finding correct and reliable information is very important in the nursing practice. There is so much information available at our fingertips, but finding accurate information is sometimes a challenge and can be detrimental to patient care if the information found is inaccurate. The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate the validity of three health websites.

The symptoms include tenderness, cramps and pain in the lower abdomen, fever that are accompanied with chills, gas, a bloated feeling or stomach swelling, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, loss of appetite and rectum bleeding which is usually painless. It is evident that many people who are diagnosed with diverticular disease have little or no symptoms at all but those who do are recommended high-fiber diet plans or fiber supplements as treatment.

Pathophysiology: Diverticulitis, is characterized by inflamed diverticuli and increased luminal pressures that cause erosion of the bowel wall and thus microscopic or macroscopic perforation into the peritoneum. A localized abscess develops when the

BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM: The condition of diverticulosis occurs when small areas of tissue form pouches in the large intestine or colon called diverticulum, or diverticula (plural). Diverticula may occur due to the lack of bulk forming and bacteria producing fiber, resulting in an imbalance of certain intestinal bacteria, increasing internal pressure on the intestinal tissue due to poor stool formation, constipation, or straining to pass stools. In the paper Low-Residue Diet in Diverticular Disease: Putting an End to a Myth it was stated that “fiber is an important energy substrate for the colonic epithelium because of its fermentation by colonic microbes to short-chain fatty acids, which in turn play a role in mucosal growth and colonic blood flow” (Tarleton, DiBaise 2011). Poor tissue health and increased internal pressure may cause the intestinal tissue to herniate causing diverticulum to form. Diverticulitis can occur when material or bacteria becoming trapped inside the diverticulum, and inflammation

Straining frequently while passing stool can bring about piece of the rectum — the end of the large intestine — to project outside the anus (rectal prolapse). At the point where this happens in children, it might be an indication of cystic fibrosis.

Dysentery is an inflammation of the intestines that causes severe pain. The cause for dysentery are bacteria, and parasites that can occur in the food, or drinks. Besides the severe pain the patient may also experience diarrhea, and blood in the stool. To treat this infection antibiotic is needed, drinking plenty fluid (because diarrhea can cause dehydration) or patients may receive fluid through an IV.

Diverticular disease has two separate manifestations. The subtle signs and symptoms of diverticulosis are important to understand because many people who have this problem are asymptomatic, but often this diverticular disease can lead to a more serious condition known as diverticulitis. In diverticulosis, there are diverticula present, but they do not cause any symptoms. In diverticulitis, which will be discussed in detail, the diverticula are inflamed which can lead to other serious consequences for the patient (Gramse, 1983). Diverticulitis is a bugling protrusion of a mucous membrane through the wall of the colon (Marrs, 2006). These saclike or pouch protrusions have the potential to cause inflammation, obstruction, infection, and

DS is a 57-year-old white female whit a history of diverticulitis who presents to the clinic for an evaluation of abdominal pain. She stated that she began experiencing left lower quadrant pain last night that worsened through the night and into this morning. The pain is described as dull, occasionally cramping, rated 7/10 in severity. The patient also stated that this pain is similar to previous episodes of diverticulitis. The patient stated that she took Gas-X this morning with little relief. She was able to move her bowels yesterday and this morning, both reportedly normal. The patient denied any fever, chills, chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, melena, hematochezia, or any other symptoms. At this time, there were

Between 5 to 10% of the population has Irritable bowel syndrome, a common disease that occurs when your large intestine contracts slower or faster than normal (Erlich, 2014). Present at any age range, irritable bowel syndrome is very common; but, between the ages of 20 to 39, it can affect up to twice as many women as men. This pressing disease is often associated with stress or dietary restrictions and causes symptoms such as cramping, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. Such indicators are presumably uncomfortable as IBS is a long-term chronic condition

Table 1. outline the main difference between Ulcerative colitis and crohns disease. As both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are types of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), however, there are major differences between the two diseases.