Diverticulitis & Bowel Disease

Diverticulitis and inflammtory bowel disease can cause inflammation.

There are many different types of inflammatory diseases. Diverticulitis and bowel disease, commonly called inflammatory bowel disease, or IDB, are two types of digestive disorders.

Diverticulitis

You develop diverticulitis when small pouches, called diverticula, develop, and become inflamed or infected. This disease occurs most often in the large intestine, but can develop anywhere in your digestive system.

Symptoms

Abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, rectal bleeding and vomiting can be signs of diverticulitis.

Causes

Your body develops these little pouches (diverticula) when weak places in your colon "collapse under pressure," according to the Mayo Clinic. The exact cause is not known. One theory is that small openings in the diverticula may trap and hold feces, causing infection.

Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is when is when your intestines become inflamed or swollen. It will repeatedly come back and will not go away quickly.

Symptoms

Abdominal cramps, pain, diarrhea and weight loss are typical of inflammatory bowel disease.

Causes

Just like with diverticulitis, the cause of inflammatory bowel disease is unknown. It may be caused from a problem with your immune system or from a germ, according to The Family Doctor.

References

• Diverticulitis
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease