Diverticulosis (the presence of pea-sized diverticula, or pockets, in the lining of the bowel) is common and quite harmless. It affects about 10-percent of people over age 40, and in 50-percent of people over age 60, says the Cleveland Clinic. The good news is that it will stop there for most, and no further symptoms will ever manifest.
However, when diverticula grow and place pressure on the intestinal walls—via bowel movements, constipation, gas, waste, or liquid—the intestinal walls weaken and diverticulitis develops, causing pain and several digestive complications, including blockages, inflammation, bacterial infection, and rectal bleeding. Here are 20 telling signs that you’ve developed diverticulitis…
1. No Symptoms
Diverticulosis is typically unnoticeable for quite a while before complications start to occur. Most people live their whole lives without the knowledge that they have diverticulosis until a doctor orders tests for an unrelated condition.
This occurs because diverticula, small bulging pouches, develop fairly commonly within the digestive system’s inner lining, most often in the lower part of the colon (or large intestine).