Diverticulitis is a condition characterized by severe abdominal pain and inflammation—sometimes with infection—due to blocked pouches in the colon. It leads to over 200,000 annual hospitalizations and almost twice that many emergency department visits in the United States. Surprisingly, over 50 percent of Americans aged 60 and above, and over 60 percent of those aged 80 and above, have pouches called diverticula in their colons, a condition known as diverticulosis. Less than 5 percent of those with diverticulosis develop diverticulitis.
Diverticulitis increased by 50 percent in the United States from 2000 to 2007, particularly in younger people, with this surge linked to factors like obesity, diet, and physical inactivity.
