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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Chronic diverticulitis exactly mimics the local clinical features of carcinoma of the colon:

  • there may be diarrhoea alternating with constipation which progresses to large bowel obstruction with vomiting, distension, colicky abdominal pain and constipation - note that small bowel obstruction from adhesion of a loop of small intestine to the inflammatory mass is not uncommon.
  • there may be episodes of pain in the left iliac fossa, and more rarely pain elsewhere in the abdomen
  • passage of mucus, profuse bright red blood per rectum or melaena
  • anaemia due to chronic occult bleeding

Examination reveals tenderness in the left iliac and there is often a thickened mass in the region of the sigmoid colon that may also be felt on rectal examination.

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