Diverticular disease occurs in about  10% of people over 45 YO and  65% for those  older  than  70. Only 15-20% of  patients  have  symptoms  but a  quarter of these  will develop inflammatory diverticulitis which may be  associated with significant  infection   abscess formation or  haemorrhage. Consideration should be  given to colonoscopy or    ct  colonography   follow up following severe  episodes of diverticulitis unless recently performed prior to the  episode.

Antibiotics  and  resting the  bowel during  acute  diverticulitis is   commonplace  during bouts of diverticulitis  but   a  high fibre diet  when the  bowel is asymptomatic  is the  main stay of  treating diverticular  disease and  avoiding  diverticulitis   inflammation.