Diverticular disease: How are chronic symptoms treated?
Sometimes diverticula lead to ongoing or recurring symptoms, inflammation or infections. A change in diet and certain medications can sometimes relieve the symptoms. If that doesn't help enough, bowel surgery is an option.
Diverticula are small sac-like pouches that develop in the wall of the bowel. They often don't cause any symptoms, or only cause temporary symptoms that are easy to treat. But they can also cause problems over the long term. Chronic diverticular disease can be divided into two forms:
- Symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD): This form is characterized by ongoing (chronic) or recurrent symptoms such as pain, bloating and irregular bowel movements (poop). But there are rarely signs of inflammation or infection. The symptoms of SUDD are very similar to those of irritable bowel syndrome and it's often difficult to tell them apart, even after doing various examinations.
- Recurrent diverticulitis: In this form, the diverticula keep becoming inflamed or infected. Although this doesn’t always lead to complications, it may result in collections of pus (abscesses) or narrowing of the bowel (intestinal stenosis).
It is not always possible to clearly differentiate between the two forms. Some people have both chronic symptoms and recurrent inflammations or infections. But the treatment options are different.
