Diverticular disease
The most common symptom of diverticular disease is intermittent (stop-start) pain in your lower abdomen (stomach), usually in the lower left-hand side. The pain is often worse when you are eating, or shortly afterwards. Passing stools (faeces) and breaking wind (flatulence) may help to relieve the pain.
Other symptoms of diverticular disease include:
- a change in your normal bowel habits, such as constipation or diarrhoea, or episodes of constipation that are followed by diarrhoea
- bloating
- bleeding from your rectum (back passage)
Diverticulitis
The main symptom of diverticulitis is a constant and severe pain. The pain usually starts below your belly button, before moving to the lower left-hand side of your abdomen.
In Asian people, the pain may move to the lower right-hand side of your abdomen. This is because Asian people tend to develop diverticula in a different part of their colon. The reason for this is thought to be genetic (certain genes found in Asian people may change the natural course of the condition).
Besides severe stomach pain, other symptoms of diverticulitis include:
- a high temperature (fever) of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or above
- a frequent need to urinate
- pain when you urinate
- nausea
- vomiting
- constipation
- bleeding from your rectum (where solid waste is stored)
When to seek medical advice
Contact your GP as soon as possible if you think you have symptoms of diverticulitis. The sooner diverticulitis is treated with antibiotics, the lower the risk of complications developing.
If you have the symptoms of diverticular disease and the condition has previously been diagnosed, you do not usually need to contact your GP because the symptoms can be treated at home. See Diverticular disease and diverticulitis - treatment for more information.
If a diagnosis has not been confirmed, contact your GP so that they can rule out other conditions that have similar symptoms, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Contact your GP if you have constant or heavy rectal bleeding. The bleeding is usually not painful, but if you lose too much blood you will need to go to hospital for a blood transfusion.
