Diverticular disease of the colon: symptoms and treatment

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 be healthy and fully able to perform its functions. However, often the pathological processes in it develop almost imperceptibly or symptoms appear, which at first do not cause any fear. And here at inspection find out a pathology about which the person also did not suspect.

Such a disease may be a diverticular disease of the intestine. It is worth noting that, strangely enough, it is more common in developed countries, and usually in older people. People less than 40 years old suffer much less often. 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 determine what a diverticulum is. It is formed in the intestinal wall, where blood vessels enter the circular muscle. When the pressure in the intestine rises, in weak areas there is a pushing of the mucosa into the lumen of the intestine between the muscle fibers. So-called protrusions of the saccular form are formed. Their size can be from 1 to 2 centimeters. Here they are called diverticula. Diverticula can form in different parts of the intestinal tract, but more often it occurs 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.

The disease can occur as asymptomatic, and with the inflammatory process and complications. As stated earlier, the risk of developing this pathology is highest in elderly patients. At the age of 40, it is much less common.

Depending on how the disease proceeds, 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 observe the doctor. If it is started and it takes a complicated form, then it can end in a lethal outcome if the operation is not performed in a timely manner. We'll talk about this a little later. And now consider what symptoms can signal that there is a diverticular disease of the intestine. How can we recognize the impending problem on our own?

Symptomatic of diverticular disease

Such a disease, as a diverticular disease (sigmoid colon, for example), most often occurs asymptomatically in the early stages, especially in young people. Only from time to time such complaints can appear:

• Constipation.
• Spasms in the abdomen.
• Increase of abdomen.

Such symptoms can be, if the diverticular disease proceeds without complications, in this case there are no pronounced manifestations of the disease.

If the diverticulosis progresses, then the symptomatology is much more vivid. In this case, complaints can look like this:

• Appears nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Constipation.
• Pain in the abdomen, most often on the left side. It is pronounced on palpation.
• The body temperature rises.
• There is a chill, weakness.
• Intoxication of the body, headaches.

The more complex the case, the more pronounced the symptoms of the disease. If you suspect that you have a diverticular disease, the symptoms described earlier should be alerted. It is important not to miss the moment and seek help in time to avoid serious complications.

Why there is a diverticular disease of the sigmoid colon or other departments? Let's understand.

Causes of diverticular disease

Do not forget that such a disease, as a diverticular disease of the colon, is peculiar first of all to people of advanced age. Therefore, one of the reasons for the emergence of this pathology is associated with age, namely, the violation of cellular metabolism in the muscular layer of the intestine.

Also, the following factors can be attributed to the reasons:

• Incorrect development of connective tissue and impaired synthesis of collagen fibers.
• Irrational nutrition, namely, inadequate intake of plant fiber and excess fatty, flour foods in the diet.
• Insufficient reduction of intestinal walls and untimely bowel movement.
• Excessive accumulation of gases in the intestine.
• Spasms of the muscular wall of the intestine, the movement of blood vessels.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle.
• Overweight.

Now it is necessary to understand how to recognize a pathology such as diverticular disease of the large intestine.

Diagnosis of Diverticular Bowel Disease

Diagnosis of the disease is as follows. First of all, the patient needs to be interviewed and examined. Having carefully listened to complaints, the doctor already assumes the presence of the disease, but for more thorough analysis it is necessary to undergo examinations. Only after the "diverticular bowel disease" is diagnosed, treatment can be prescribed.

For 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 study.

When examining a patient, you need to pay attention to his eating habits, the way he leads, and the frequency of constipation and abdominal pain.

Laboratory tests, blood tests and coprograms can confirm the presence of inflammation and internal bleeding.

Colonoscopy can detect the source of intestinal bleeding. If a patient is diagnosed with an acute form of diverticular disease, he needs to make a CT scan. In this case, the intestinal walls and the condition of the tissues that are located next will be visible.

Apply a type of research, such as cystography. It is used to examine the bladderworm fistula. Intravenous urography is carried out in order to establish whether 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 appoints the appropriate treatment. How diverticular disease of the colon is treated, we will consider further.

Methods for treating diverticular disease

If diverticulosis occurs with an actively expressed symptomatology, then physical activity is contraindicated. Treatment for diverticular disease of the colon depends entirely on how the disease progresses.

The following treatment can be prescribed:

• Ambulatory therapy is indicated if there is no intoxication of the body, while leukocytes are not increased, 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 life of the patient 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, they can prescribe a diet and the following medicines:

• Spasmolytic drugs ("No-shpa", "Spazmol", "Mebeverin").
• Medications that normalize the intestinal microflora (Lineks, Bactisubtil, Acipol).
• Enzymes ("Festal", "Creon").

If there are vivid clinical manifestations of diverticular disease, the treatment is prescribed as follows:

• Stimulators of motility of the gastrointestinal tract (Motilium, Pasazhix, Motilak).
• Antibiotics ("Sulgin", "Biseptol").
• Intestinal antiseptics (Intextopan, Intetriks, Enterosediv, Sumetrolim, Ersefuril).
• Laxatives ("Dufalac", "Normase").

Surgery is possible if:

• Diverticular disease of the large intestine gave complications.
• There are fistulas.
• There are chronic clumps in the tissues with an admixture of blood and lymph.
• Chronic diverticular disease is often exacerbated.
• The pronounced diverticular disease does not lend itself to complex treatment. This is possible with a repeated exacerbation of the disease.

When choosing a method of surgical intervention, the following factors are necessarily taken into account:

• What is the nature of the complications.
• How much the process has spread.
• What changes in the inflammatory process occurred in the muscular wall of the intestine and surrounding tissues.
• Is there a perifocal inflammation or peritonitis.
• What concomitant diseases the patient has, since most often these are elderly people.

Surgical intervention is carried out in 2 stages. The first removes the affected area of the intestine. In the second stage, anastomoses are formed between segments of the intestine, in order to restore its continuity.

It should be remembered that diverticula after surgical intervention or successful treatment can reappear. Therefore, you should follow the diet, which we will discuss later.

Diet in diverticular disease of the colon

As we noted, in the treatment of any kind of diverticular disease, first of all the doctor will prescribe compliance with the diet. If you adhere to it, you can significantly ease the course of the disease or prevent the development of its complications.

What foods are recommended if the diagnosis is "diverticular disease"? The diet is to eat well. The menu should contain the following useful products:

• Kasha from whole grains.
• Sprouted grain.
• Whole-wheat bread, cereal.
• A large number of fruits and vegetables in fresh as well as in thermally processed form.
• Dried fruits.
• Dairy products.

And also it is necessary to drink a sufficient amount of liquid per day, at least one and a half or two liters of clean water.

Products that are recommended to be excluded from the diet:

• Sugar, sweets.
• Strong tea, coffee.
• Carbonated and alcoholic drinks.
• Spices and spices.
• Fresh bread.
• Semi-finished products.
• Fast food.

It should be noted that you can not eat foods with poorly digestible ingredients. This, for example, kiwi, grapes, seeds. If you eat fish, you should carefully clean it of small pits.

Doctors recommend using bran, gradually increasing the dosage from 5 to 20 g per day.

If you do not follow a diet, the disease will progress significantly, and complications may appear.

With the diagnosis of "diverticular disease" diet - one of the most effective means to prevent complications and facilitate the current process.

Dangerous complications of diverticular disease

Diverticular disease of the colon can cause dangerous complications that can become a serious threat to the life of the patient. Such complications include:

• Bleeding in place of ulcers. One of the symptoms of bleeding is the blood clots in the bowel movements.
• The development of intestinal obstruction, because the lumen of the gut may narrow due to protrusion.
• Education of abscesses. Pus can enter the abdominal cavity.
• Local necrotic changes, as a consequence - peritonitis.
• Perforation of the wall of a nearby organ with the formation of a fistulous course. As a rule, it is an infection 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 came to such conclusions: if you stick to a diet with a high fiber content, then the diverticular disease will not progress. People who consumed at least 32 grams of fiber per day recorded the best rates. Insoluble fiber is primarily vegetables and fruits.

Also noted the benefit of physical activity in the prevention of diverticular bowel disease.

The influence of alcohol, smoking and caffeine consumption was studied together with the observance of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits. In this case, a decrease in the effectiveness of plant fiber intake 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 mentioned 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. Preventing constipation and an active lifestyle will help to avoid this unpleasant pathology.

What is the prognosis of treatment?

If the diverticular disease is asymptomatic, surgery is not required. It may not further disturb if the patient adheres to the diet and doctor's recommendations.

If the disease is in an acute stage, then a conservative treatment is appointed, which, as a rule, the patient tolerates well, and it is not necessary to resort to surgical intervention. Only 15 percent of cases require surgical intervention.

Repetition of acute diverticulitis is considered possible in 1 out of 4 cases. Repeated exacerbations of the disease are much worse. In this case, the body does not react to conservative medication. In such situations, surgical intervention is more often indicated. After an uncomplicated second attack, a scheduled operation can be scheduled. With a repeated acute diverticulitis, the death rate is much higher.

If the surgeon's assistance is required, then it is advisable not to postpone it, since postponing the operation raises the risk of mortality to 18%. If there is perforation in the peritoneal cavity with peritonitis, the patient should be urgently operated, since the level of deaths in such cases is 35%.

There are studies that confirm that in young patients the risk of recurrence of the disease is much higher than in older patients. In patients with reduced immunity, recurrence of attacks of diverticular disease is higher than in people with normal immunity.

After an operation in 10% of cases, a second operation is required. In 20% of patients, if there was bleeding, it may recur after a period of time. In 33% of cases, a repetition of the inflammatory process is possible.

In general, it can be said that with a timely treatment and subsequent compliance with the diet and regular prevention of abnormalities in the work of the intestine, you can give a good prognosis.

Traditional methods of treatment

Since ancient times, there are many recipes of folk medicine from various diseases. Diverticular disease of the colon or any other part of the intestine is no exception.

These recipes can only be used after consultation with your doctor. And it is better, after the complete examination, because the main thing is not to harm the body.

Treatment of a 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 a few recipes and recommendations:

• Oil and flax seeds. It is necessary before using the seeds to pour them with warm water at the rate of one tablespoon per glass of water. After a while, the seeds will swell, and the liquid will look like a jelly. Here this compound perfectly protects the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, and also improves its work. You should eat on an empty stomach one tablespoon.
• The storage of the necessary fiber in a disease such as diverticular disease is the seeds of plantain. By the number of valuable substances they exceed oats and barley. Regular use of seeds allows you to adjust the work of the gastrointestinal tract, improves peristalsis. It is necessary to use them according to this scheme. One tablespoon filled with a glass of water or juice, you can use yogurt. This mixture must be drunk immediately. After 30 minutes, you must take a glass of water. A sufficient amount of liquid is the main condition when using psyllium seeds. Seeds inside swell and do their useful work. You need to drink three times a day until you feel better.
• According to folk recipes it is very important to cleanse the intestines from slags, fecal stones, from food decay products. It is very useful for the intestines to cleanse the collection of grasses. These are flowers and branches of a thorn. Three spoonfuls of collection should be poured with a liter of boiling water and insist, for this it is better to use a thermos, since the infusion should stand in the warmth of the night. Then strain and drink it 3 times a day, one hour before a meal, 1 glass each. Within three days it is necessary to take this medicine. If there is constipation, you do not need to drink. Drink plenty of water and curdled milk, at least a liter a day.
• In the acute course of diverticular disease, the following folk prescription is recommended. It is necessary 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 must pass. The broth can be used for enemas. With hemorrhoids can not be used. Treatment continue for 10-14 days.
• A good remedy for the treatment of diverticular disease based on the rusty elm bark. It is prepared as follows. A half teaspoon of bark in the form of powder and a teaspoon of granulated bark are poured into one glass of water. On a slow fire, everything should boil for 20 minutes. Then strain, bring the volume of liquid to one glass and take in the morning and evening for 200 ml.

Before using folk remedies, consult with your doctor. Sometimes doctors can recommend themselves some effective drugs that can be used together 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.