Signs and symptoms
... Diverticulitis can feel like appendicitis, except you''ll generally have pain in the lower left side of your abdomen, instead of the lower right side. The pain is usually severe and comes on suddenly,...

Causes
... Diverticula usually develop when naturally weak places in your colon give way under pressure. This causes marble-sized pouches to protrude through the colon wall. Pouches are most common in your sigmo...

Risk factors
... These factors may increase the pressure on the wall of your colon: Aging. As you age, the outer muscular wall of your colon thickens, causing the inside passageway to narrow. The narrowing increases p...

Screening and diagnosis
... Because diverticula by themselves usually don''t cause problems, most people learn they have diverticulosis during routine screening examinations for colorectal cancer or during tests that check for o...