Diverticula are small, bulging pouches that can form in the lining of your digestive system. They are found most often in the lower part of the large intestine (colon). Diverticula are common, especially after age 40, and seldom cause problems.
Sometimes, however, one or more of the pouches become inflamed or infected. This condition is known as diverticulitis. Diverticulitis can cause severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea and a marked change in your bowel habits.
Diverticulitis can come on suddenly and cause other problems such as the following:
- Abscess (a painful, swollen, infected, and pus-filled area just outside your colon wall)
- Perforation (a small tear or hole in a pouch in your colon)
- Peritonitis (inflammation or infection of the lining of your abdomen. Pus and stool that leak through a perforation can cause peritonitis)
- Fistula (an abnormal passage, or tunnel, between two organs or between an organ and the outside of your body. The most common types of fistula with diverticulitis occur between the colon and the bladder or between the colon and the vagina in women.)
Intestinal obstruction (a partial or total blockage of the movement of food or stool through your intestines)
