Some people are born with a diverticulum, most often from the small intestine. Most diverticula develop during later life and are more and more common with increasing age.
the symptoms of diverticular disease are due to the muscle abnormality and consist of pain, usually in the left lower part of the abdomen, often abdominal distension, an irregular bowel habit with pellet-like stools, and sometimes small quantities of blood passed with bowel actions. These symptoms are similar to those of the irritable bowel syndrome which is not surprising because both disorders, at least in part, are due to abnormal muscle function.
A diverticulum may occasionally bleed and you may pass some blood via your anus. The bleeding is usually abrupt and painless. The bleeding is due to a burst blood vessel that sometimes occurs in the wall of a diverticulum and so the amount of blood loss can be heavy.
