The digestive system is one of the largest in the human body. This goes from the mouth to the anus. Among its most important components we can highlight the stomach and intestine. The first is responsible for retaining and breaking down food, and then transporting it to the intestine, where all the nutrients will be absorbed, in addition to discarding the remains that contain toxins that are harmful to the human body. The intestine consists of two main segments: the small intestine, which measures between 5 and 11 meters and whose main function is to connect the stomach with the tubular viscera, and the large intestine, which is estimated to range from 0.5 to 1 meter, consisting of the cecum, the colon, the rectumand the anus. Like any organ, it can be affected by different diseases, such as tumors.
One of these conditions is diverticulitis, which is characterized by the appearance of bags or diverticula in the intestine, specifically in the colon, which become infected. The population that is prone to suffer from it is the elderly, although young people are not exempt from danger; Likewise, it has been determined that in the West it is more common to affect the left side, where the sigmoid colon is located, while in Asia and Africa on the right side. Generally, this inflammation of the diverticula is associated with the high pressures registered in the colon; Also, diverticulosis, a condition similar to diverticulitis, but without the typical infections of this, is usually marked as a history.
As such, diverticulitis infection occurs from small pieces of stool that get stuck in the intestine, causing an infection to start in the already inflamed diverticula. Among the most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, gas, and the disappearance of hunger. To diagnose it, tests such as CT scans and ultrasounds are performed. As for the treatments to alleviate them, it is generally recommended that the patient take rest and stay in bed, place a heating pad on the abdomen and consume analgesics or antibiotics; In addition to this, you should drink fluids for a few days, then eat some thicker, and then eat regular food.
