Most adults would rather keep talk about colons behind the bathroom
door.It's time to talk, says Kim Turgeon, MD, FACP, gastroenterologist
in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.
Regular wear and tear on the colon can cause little out-pockets
called diverticula in one in three adults over the age of 65.
They are sometimes more common when there is persistent constipation,
which causes people to strain to pass stool that is too hard. The high
pressure from straining causes the weak spots in the colon to bulge out
and become diverticula.
While not dangerous in and of themselves, if diverticula get plugged
with waste they can become infected and cause diverticulitis, which can
result in serious complications, including cancer, and very rarely,
death.
"Colon problems are actually quite common throughout a person's
life, from childhood, through teen years, and adulthood," says
Turgeon. "Regular cancer screening of the colon should start at the age
of 50."
The colon's job is to remove water from the stool to make waste a
compact, formed product when it leaves the large intestine (colon).
Diverticula form in areas of the colon where blood vessels go
through the muscle wall, which make those areas weaker.
The colon is also an area with high levels of bacteria, which are
performing important functions, says Turgeon.
Bacteria can begin to grow in plugged diverticula and start
irritating the surface and cause infection.
As one ages, diverticula tend to increase in numbers in the colon
and are more likely to plug, become infected and bleed.
Diverticuli can appear in the colon in a wide range of numbers --
from one to hundreds. They are considered benign.
After the age of 65, about 30 percent of adults have diverticuli in
their colon. That number increases to 65 percent of adults over the age
of 85.
The symptoms of diverticulitis are similar appendicitis - fever,
abdominal pain, maybe in the beginning a little diarrhea or a sudden
lack of bowel movements.
Diverticulitis can be treated with antibiotics and surgery. Very
rarely, someone will die from diverticulitis.