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Diverticulitis is when some of the people with diverticulosis develop infections or an inflammation in these little sacs that protrude out. Only a small number of people with diverticulosis have diverticulitis.

The symptoms of diverticulitis are usually abdominal pain. Usually in the left, lower part of the abdomen. Pain, sometimes you can have fever, and tenderness; which means if you push on the abdomen you have pain with the pushing on it. These are the most common symptoms.

If it becomes very severe then it requires putting the patient in the hospital for treatment. The diverticulitis can become perforated, which is ... Only a small number of people with diverticulitis have perforation, which is a serious condition where there's a small little hole or a tear in one of these little sacs that leaks the contents of the bowel into the abdomen. That is a serious condition that usually requires surgery.

Diverticulitis, most cases of diverticulitis are acute. It's a sudden attack, the patients know about it. But a small number of patients have recurrent, acute diverticulitis. They have recurrent episodes of these attacks. A small number of them can develop chronic diverticular disease, which is kind of a low grade degree of diverticulitis with some mild and chronic low grade discomfort. So it is possible for diverticulitis to become chronic to some extent.

What causes diverticulitis? It's not completely clear, but it is an infection and/or inflammation in one of the pockets. It is a common misconception that people are told to avoid seeds, or that people are told to avoid seeds, nuts, popcorn. Really the studies show that there is no clear evidence that avoiding these lead to diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis is usually diagnosed by, initially, the clinical picture. People presenting with symptoms to suggest it. The examination, when we feel the abdomen and it's tender where the diverticulosis is usually present. A CT scan of the abdomen usually confirms this diagnosis.

If somebody gets an acute diverticulitis every two or three years it can be treated with antibiotics. Having frequent attacks of diverticulitis can lead to complications, adhesions. Things stick together in the abdomen and then you can have something called "fistula," when you develop an abnormal connection between the colon and the bladder or other organs.

The gold standard for colon cancer screening is the colonoscopy. It's a very good test, because you can prevent colon cancer as well as diagnose colon cancer. If someone has a polyp, then you can basically find that, remove that and prevent the disease. If you find an early stage cancer, then again you can find it, mark it, know where it's at. There are some other tests including a FIT test: that is, a stool card that looks for things such as blood. It also looks for different markers that come off of tumors or advanced polyps. It's not the gold standard because it's not as specific and sensitive as a colonoscopy, but again, it is a way of screening for colonoscopy. The fecal test, or the old test where you're just looking for blood, that's again a very old test. It has kind of fallen out of favor because it is not very specific or sensitive for colon cancer screening.

A colonoscopy is again the gold standard for colon cancer screening, again because it is a test that can prevent colon cancer and also detect it. None of the other tests are like that. Most of them are basically finding colon cancer when it has occurred. So if you do a stool test for blood or a FIT test or a Cologuard test, when those become positive, it means that there is something there, usually that's causing those tests to become positive. A colonoscopy again: you can go up there and take off polyps, prevent the disease ... If you find an early stage cancer, you can take that out and it's about a 95 - 96% cure rate. If you do something like a barium enema, a FIT test or a fecal occult test, a Cologuard test, those are again looking ... are finding things that are already a problem.

In order to determine what type is best for them, they should probably discuss it with their physician. Whether it be a gastroenterologist or their primary care physician.

A person that's of average risk can use the other tests ... a FIT test, a barium enema, a Cologuard ... The occult stool for blood test, the fecal test, is again out of favor. The guidelines are trying to get people to do whatever they can to be tested. The gold standard again, is a colonoscopy; most people would like to direct people to have that done. But if people aren't willing to do that, if there are some cost restraints, if there is something related to people's fear of the colonoscopy, of having sedation, then by all means, anything to try to get people to get tested would be preferable than nothing at all.