Diverticulitis is something that is mentioned quite often in the discussions of common medical issues. Many times it is people confusing diverticulitis with diverticulosis. A quick review: A diverticula is a general name for an out-pouching of a hollow structure within the body. It is most commonly used to discuss out-pouchings related to the colon. Diverticulosis is just the presence of diverticula in the walls of the digestive tract, AKA the colon. Diverticulosis is incredibly common, with most people having it by the age of 75 and just seen incidentally when they get a colonoscopy. Diverticulitis is inflammation of one or more of these diverticula I want to talk just a little bit about diverticulitis because there are a few major confusing things about it. ...
Scott Selinger, MD, FACP musing on the questions you keep meaning to ask your doctor