Select a condition Absence seizures Acne ADHD Age-related macular degeneration AIDS Alzheimer's disease AMD Amebic dysentery Anal tears Angina, stable Angina, unstable Ankle sprain Anorexia Anxiety Appendicitis Arthritis Asthma in adults Asthma in children Athlete's foot Atrial fibrillation Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Autism Back pain Bacterial vaginosis Bad breath Bedsores Bedwetting Bell's palsy Benign prostatic hyperplasia Bipolar disorder Bladder infection in women Blood pressure Breast cancer Breast pain Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bulimia Bunions Burning mouth syndrome Burns and scalds Canker sores Cardiac arrest Carpal tunnel syndrome Cataracts Cellulitis and erysipelas Chickenpox Childbirth, heavy bleeding Childbirth, tear or cut Chlamydia Chronic bronchitis Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic prostatitis Chronic tension type headache Cold sores Colic in babies Colon and rectal cancer Colon and rectal cancer screening Colonic diverticular disease Common cold Conjunctivitis Constipation in adults Constipation in children COPD Crib death Deep vein thrombosis Dementia Depression in adults Depression in children Diabetes, type 1 Diabetes, type 2 Diarrhea in adults Diarrhea in children Diverticular disease Ear infection, middle ear Ear infection, outer ear Ear infection with discharge Ear infection with fluid Ear pain during air travel Ear wax Eczema Emphysema Endometriosis Enlarged prostate Epilepsy Episiotomy Erection problems Essential tremor Febrile seizures Fertility problems Fibroids Flu Gallstones Genital herpes Genital warts GERD GERD in children Glaucoma Gonorrhea Gout Group B streptococcus H. pylori infection Halitosis Hay fever Headache, chronic tension type Head lice Heart and circulation problems in diabetes Heart attack Heartburn Heart failure Heavy periods Heel pain Hemorrhoids Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hernia Herpes, genital Herpes simplex eye infection High blood pressure High blood pressure in pregnancy High cholesterol HIV infection Hyperactivity IBS Incontinence in women Infection in newborn babies Infertility Influenza Insomnia in adults Irritable bowel syndrome Jaundice in newborn babies Jet lag Kidney infection Kidney stones Leg cramps Leg ulcers Lewy body dementia Lung cancer Lyme disease Macular degeneration Malaria prevention Manic depression Mastalgia Measles, mumps and rubella: prevention Melanoma Meniere's disease Meningococcal disease Menopause Migraine in adults Migraine in children MMR prevention Morning sickness Multiple sclerosis Nail infection, fungal Neck pain Nicotine addiction Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Nosebleeds in children Obesity Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD Oral thrush Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Ovarian cancer Painful periods Pancreas cancer Panic attacks Parkinson's disease PCOS Pelvic inflammatory disease Perineal care Peripheral arterial disease Peripheral vascular disease Pneumonia Polycystic ovary syndrome Postpartum depression Postpartum hemorrhage Post-traumatic stress disorder Preeclampsia Pregnancy, nausea Premature birth Pressure sores Prostate cancer Prostatitis, chronic Psoriasis PTSD Raynaud's disease Rectal cancer screening Recurrent cystitis Reflux in children Rheumatoid arthritis Scabies Schizophrenia Seasonal allergy Shoulder pain Sickle cell anemia Sickle cell disease SIDS Sinusitis Skin cancer (melanoma) Skin cancer (squamous cell) Sleep apnea Sleep problems in children Slipped disk Smoking Sore throat Stomach ulcers Stress headache Stress incontinence Stroke, emergency care Stroke prevention Sudden infant death syndrome Swimmer's ear Tennis elbow Tension headache Testicular cancer Thrush (oral) Tic douloureux Tinnitus Tonsillitis Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy Trigeminal neuralgia Underactive thyroid Urinary tract infections in children Varicocele Varicose veins Vascular dementia Warts Whiplash Wisdom teeth, impacted Wrinkles Yeast infection, vagina

Select treatment area Bladder & Kidneys Blood Brain & nervous system Cancer Children's health Diabetes Digestive system Ear, nose & throat Eating & weight Eyes Fertility Heart and circulation Hormones Infections Lungs & breathing Men's health Mental health Mouth Muscles & bones Pregnancy & childbirth Sexual health Skin Sleep Staying healthy Travel health Women's health

If you have diverticula that don't give you any problems, you won't need any treatment. If your diverticula become inflamed or infected (called diverticulitis), you'll probably be given antibiotics. If you don't get better, you may need treatment in a hospital.

If you have diverticula that don't give you any problems, you probably won't be offered any treatment. This is because you're unlikely to get ill.¹

Diverticula don't go away, but many doctors think that you can stop more diverticula from forming and stay well by eating more fiber.²

Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables and grains that your body doesn't digest. When you don't eat enough fiber, you can get constipated, with hard stools that are difficult to pass. Doctors think than when you strain to pass these hard stools, the pressure in your colon causes diverticula.^{3 4} High-fiber foods make the stools softer and easier to pass through your colon. This reduces the pressure inside your colon.

Doctors think that fiber from fruit and vegetables may be better at preventing diverticula than fiber from cereals.⁵ Some doctors advise people who have diverticula but no symptoms to eat more fruit and vegetables high in fiber.⁶ These include:

• Apples and pears
• Carrots, spinach, squash and broccoli
• Potatoes
• Baked beans and kidney beans.

It's best to increase the amount of fiber you eat gradually over a few weeks. Some people who eat more fiber feel worse before they start to feel better. This is because eating more fiber can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable at first.^{3 4} Your doctor may suggest you take a fiber supplement or bulking agent (a laxative) such as bran, ispaghula husk or methylcellulose, especially if you find it difficult to eat lots of fiber.

Some doctors also think that exercise, such as jogging and running, also may stop you from getting diverticular disease. But there isn't any evidence in the research for this.⁷

You can take painkillers to help with your abdominal pain. Acetaminophen is probably best. You shouldn't take codeine because it can cause constipation. And taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may increase the chances of bleeding in your diverticula.⁸

If one or more of your diverticula become inflamed or infected (when it's called diverticulitis) but you don't feel too sick, your doctor will probably look after you while you're at home. You'll probably be treated with antibiotics to fight the infection. And you’ll be put on a liquid diet to rest your colon.⁹

You may need to be looked after in the hospital if:⁹

• Your pain is very bad
• Your have a severe infection
• You can't keep fluids down
• You are over 85
• You have another illness
• You haven't gotten better after being treated at home.

In the hospital, you’ll probably be given fluids and antibiotics by injection into one of your veins. Most people treated in the hospital for diverticulitis get better with this kind of care. But 15 in 100 to 30 in 100 people need an operation to remove the affected part of their colon. This is sometimes because the antibiotics haven't worked or because of complication.¹⁰

About two-thirds of people who have had diverticulitis keep getting some pain in their abdomen after they have recovered.¹¹ Up to 40 in 100 people have another attack of diverticulitis within the next five years.¹²

Here are the main complications you can get with diverticulitis.^{3 4}

• Abscess. This is a ball of infection and pus that may cause swelling and also damage your colon. If the abscess is small, it may clear up with antibiotic treatment. But if the abscess doesn't go away, you may need an operation to drain away the infected fluid. Your doctor will insert a needle through your skin and drain the fluid through a small tube called a catheter. Occasionally, you may need a bigger operation to clean the abscess and, if necessary, to remove part of your colon.
• Fistula. This is an abnormal connection of tissue between the colon and nearby organs, such as the bladder, the small intestine or the skin. The most common type of fistula connects your bladder and your colon. Men are more likely to have this type of fistula than women. It can cause bad bladder infections. But your fistula can be cured by an operation to remove the fistula and the affected part of your colon.
• Obstruction. If your diverticula have gotten infected, you can have scarring that can block your colon and stop your stools moving normally. You’ll usually need an operation to unblock your colon. If it’s only partly blocked, the operation can be planned in advance. But if your bowel is totally blocked, you’ll need an emergency operation.
• Peritonitis. This is a very serious but rare illness that happens if the infection spreads outside your colon and into the space outside your gut. You'll need to have an emergency operation to clean the space and remove the damaged part of your colon. Without an operation, people who get peritonitis can die.

About one-third of people who have had an attack of diverticulitis, and don't get complications, get a second attack.¹ A second attack is usually more serious than the first and it's harder to treat. After a second attack, your chance of a third one is more than 1 in 2.⁹

Because of this increased risk, some doctors recommend that people who've had two attacks of diverticulitis should have an operation to remove the diseased part of their colon.¹ The younger you are, the more likely you are to be offered an operation. This is because diverticulitis tends to be more serious in younger people, with a higher risk of repeat attacks and complications.¹ To learn more, see Surgery to remove part of your colon.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.