Nagging abdominal pain and a new bout of constipation? You might be dealing with diverticulitis, a condition that occurs when small pouches form in the colon and become inflamed or infected.

Diverticular disease is an umbrella term that refers to a few related intestinal conditions. A diverticulum is a pouch that forms in your large intestine (colon) that doesn’t usually cause symptoms.

Jake Parks is a freelance science writer and editor for Discover Magazine, who covers everything from the mysteries of the cosmos to the latest in medical research. View Full Profile. Imagine waking ...

Diverticulosis and diverticular disease are ranked among the most common gastroenterological diseases and conditions. In ...

Diverticulosis is a common condition, especially in older adults, in which small pockets or sacs called diverticula form and push outward through weak spots in the colon. Half of Americans over the ...

A nagging cramp low in your belly. A wave of nausea that throws off your day. A fever that sneaks up without warning. On their own, these symptoms might seem harmless or easy to explain away. But ...

At the age of 70, 70 percent of the population will have diverticulosis. However, this doesn’t mean that all of these patients will ever experience diverticulitis. So, what’s the difference, and how ...

Being diagnosed with an inflammatory digestive condition like diverticulitis can raise a lot of questions, including whether you should be on a special diverticulitis diet. While your doctor will ...

As you age, the walls of your colon, also known as your large intestine, weaken. This increases the likelihood your body will form diverticula — small pockets or pouches in the wall of your digestive ...

Diverticulitis is a very common disease of the colon that occurs along a very wide spectrum of severity. In its milder forms, it can be treated in the clinic but when very severe it may require ...