What is the treatment for diverticular disease?

A high-fiber diet and, occasionally, mild pain medications will help relieve symptoms in most cases. Sometimes an attack of diverticulitis is serious enough to require a hospital stay and possibly surgery.

Diverticulosis

Increasing the amount of fiber in the diet may reduce symptoms of diverticulosis and prevent complications such as diverticulitis. Fiber keeps stool soft and lowers pressure inside the colon so that bowel contents can move through easily. The American Dietetic Association recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day. The table below shows the amount of fiber in some foods that you can easily add to your diet.

Amount of Fiber in Some Foods Fruits Apple, raw, with skin 1 medium = 3.3 grams Peach, raw 1 medium = 1.5 grams Pear, raw 1 medium = 5.1 grams Tangerine, raw 1 medium = 1.9 grams Vegetables Asparagus, fresh, cooked 4 spears = 1.2 grams Broccoli, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2.6 grams Brussels sprouts, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2 grams Cabbage, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 1.5 grams Carrot, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2.3 grams Cauliflower, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 1.7 grams Romaine lettuce 1 cup = 1.2 grams Spinach, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2.2 grams Summer squash, cooked 1 cup = 2.5 grams Tomato, raw 1 = 1 gram Winter squash, cooked 1 cup = 5.7 grams Starchy Vegetables Baked beans, canned, plain 1/2 cup = 6.3 grams Kidney beans, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 5.7 grams Lima beans, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 6.6 grams Potato, fresh, cooked 1 = 2.3 grams Grains Bread, whole-wheat 1 slice = 1.9 grams Brown rice, cooked 1 cup = 3.5 grams Cereal, bran flake 3/4 cup = 5.3 grams Oatmeal, plain, cooked 3/4 cup = 3 grams White rice, cooked 1 cup = 0.6 grams Source: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 15. Available at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl. Accessed April 5, 2004.

The doctor may also recommend taking a fiber product such as Citrucel or Metamucil once a day. These products are mixed with water and provide about 2 to 3.5 grams of fiber per tablespoon, mixed with 8 ounces of water.

Until recently, many doctors suggested avoiding foods with small seeds such as tomatoes or strawberries because they believed that particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation. However, it is now generally accepted that only foods that may irritate or get caught in the diverticula cause problems. Foods such as nuts, popcorn hulls, and sunflower, pumpkin, caraway, and sesame seeds should be avoided. The seeds in tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries, as well as poppy seeds, are generally considered harmless. People differ in the amounts and types of foods they can eat. Decisions about diet should be made based on what works best for each person. Keeping a food diary may help identify individual items in one's diet.

If cramps, bloating, and constipation are problems, the doctor may prescribe a short course of pain medication. However, many medications affect emptying of the colon, an undesirable side effect for people with diverticulosis.

Diverticulitis

Treatment for diverticulitis focuses on clearing up the infection and inflammation, resting the colon, and preventing or minimizing complications. An attack of diverticulitis without complications may respond to antibiotics within a few days if treated early.

To help the colon rest, the doctor may recommend bed rest and a liquid diet, along with a pain reliever.

An acute attack with severe pain or severe infection may require a hospital stay. Most acute cases of diverticulitis are treated with antibiotics and a liquid diet. The antibiotics are given by injection into a vein. In some cases, however, surgery may be necessary.

source: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/index.htm