Diverticulitis & Bowel Disease

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.