Diverticulitis
Scenario 4: Diverticulitis
A 54-year-old schoolteacher is seeing your today for complaints of passing bright red blood when she had a bowel movement this morning. She stated the first episode occurred last week. The episode today was accompanied by nausea, sweating, and weakness. She states she has had some LLQ pain for several weeks but described it as “coming and going”. She says she has had a fever and abdominal cramps that have worsened this morning.
Diagnosis is lower GI bleed secondary to diverticulitis.
Question:
1. What can cause diverticulitis in the lower GI tract?
Diverticulosis is a clinical condition in which multiple sac-like protrusions (diverticula) develop along the gastrointestinal tract. Though diverticula may form at weak points in the walls of either the small or large intestines, the majority occur in the large intestine (most commonly the sigmoid colon). The majority of individuals with diverticulosis are asymptomatic. Diverticulosis is thought to occur due to peristalsis abnormalities (e.g., intestinal spasms), intestinal dyskinesia, or high segmental intraluminal pressures. Although the exact cause is unknown, some environmental and lifestyle risk factors have been linked to this condition.
