Diverticulitis can feel like appendicitis (a painful, potentially life-threatening infection of the appendix). The main difference is that the pain is felt in the lower left side of your abdomen instead of the lower right. The pain is usually severe and sudden, but sometimes it starts out mild and gets worse over several days. Other possible symptoms are abdominal tenderness, fever, nausea, constipation and diarrhea. Less common symptoms of diverticulitis may include:
- Bleeding from the rectum
- Frequent urination
- Difficulty or pain while emptying the bladder of urine
Causes and Risk Factors
Diverticula develop when naturally weak places in the colon give way under pressure, often from straining to push out solid wastes from the body over several years. Sometimes a bit of stool (solid waste) may become lodged in one of the pouches, leading to infection. A small tear can also develop in a pouch, causing an infection inside the abdomen.
As we age, the outer muscular wall of the colon thickens, causing the inside passage to narrow. This narrowing increases the pressure in the colon and raises the chances pouches will form. Thickening of the outer wall also makes moving waste from the colon more difficult, and the waste stays in the colon longer, becoming harder and dryer. Too little fiber makes small, hard stools that are hard for the body to pass, which causes even more colon pressure.