Often patients with diverticulitis develop infections in their blood with their white blood cell count shooting up—a condition known as leukocytosis. At this stage, patients report feelings of excess nausea, and there is a possibility of fever and vomiting in them. The condition is invariably associated with irregular bowel movements and patients suffer from alternating constipation and diarrhea. Cramps start forming all over the body due to acute loss of body fluids.

Earlier, it was believed a few types of food contributed to the formation of the diverticula and hence resulted in this particular disease. Now, however, it has been determined that those theories were unfounded. Medical professionals maintain that diverticulitis is related to irregular and improper food habits and high stress lifestyle, which often leads to irregular bowel movements and constipation. A prolonged period of such irregularities can lead to added pressure on the walls of the colon resulting in the formation of the diverticula. The diverticula then trap material from the colon passage, which decompose within the pouch causing infection and sharp decline in the blood flow resulting in inflammation.

The colon passage is highly distensible and do not get ruptured very easily, which is why patients with this condition are invariably people over the age of forty. Usually, people who are at least slightly overweight and are given to low fiber junk-food diet are more susceptible to the condition. Treatment is fairly simple—it follows a schedule of liquid antibiotics for a few weeks followed by an extended period of high fiber diet. However, at times when the condition is diagnosed at an advanced stage, surgery may become necessary—particularly, if there is severe blockage in the excretory passage. There are primarily three types of surgeries that are done—colostomy, bowel resection, and abscess drainage. Maintaining high-fluid and high-fiber diet regularly and exercising to keep the body in shape can prevent the condition of diverticulitis.