Diverticular Disease: What is the difference between diverticulosis and diverticulitis?

The human body is a complex system that often malfunctions. Many people believe that numerous diseases are a natural reflection of the body aging and cannot be avoided. The goal of my paper is to change this perception and demonstrate that healthy eating and active lifestyle can result in a healthy body at any age. Many diseases that occur in the digestive system or as a cause of complications in the digestive system are not preventable. There are a small amount of diseases that can be not only prevented, but also corrected by eating the proper nutrition or maintaining a healthy lifestyle such as Diverticular Disease and Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease.

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a serve inflammation of the large intestine. Some symptoms include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Though it is not yet known what causes UC, some scientists believe it could be a combined factor of genetics, environment and the immune system.

Esophageal diverticula, or outpouchings, are not a very common occurrence; predominantly affecting the male population that is past their seventh decade of life (Khan, Ismail, & Van de Werke, 2012). There are two main types of diverticulum: the traction and the pulsion-type. The traction, also commonly known as the true diverticulum, herniate through all layers of the esophageal wall and are usually found opposite of the tracheal bifurcation. They are mostly the result of congenital disorders that cause scarring of the esophagus and certain diseases such as tuberculosis. These types of diverticulum are not as common as the pulsion-type (Bagheri et al., 2013). The pulsion, known also as the false diverticulum or pseudodiverticulum, involve only the mucosal or submucosal layers of the esophagus penetrating through the muscular layer. These diverticulum are almost always acquired; very rarely are they seen as a congenital abnormality (Bagheri et al., 2013).

The colon and rectum are part of the large intestine (bowel). Colon and rectum cancers, which are sometimes referred to together as"colorectal cancer,"usually grow in the lining of the large intestine. Cancer of the Colon and Rectum is the third most common cancer in adults and accounts for 11% of all cancer deaths. Other types of cancer that can grow in the large intestine include lymphomas, melanomas or sarcomas. Alternative names for Cancer is; Colorectal cancer; Intestinal cancer; Bowel cancer; Cancer – colon. .

The mammalian intestinal tract is structurally a tube that is divided into two segments: the small and large intestine. The inner wall consists of a simple epithelium called mucosa, which is responsible for the processing and absorption of nutrients (Sancho et al., 2003; Barker et al., 2008). The small intestine epithelium is folded into finger-like protrusions, called villi, directed toward the lumen; the valleys are invaginations into the sub-mucosa and are known as the crypts. In the large intestine, the mucosa lacks villi, and the crypts invaginate deep into the sub-mucosa. There are four distinctive, differentiated cell types in the mucosa to mediate the functions of the intestinal epithelium: enterocyte (EC), goblet cells (GC), enteroendocrine (EE), and Paneth cells (PC) (Radtke and Clevers, 2005; Barker et al., 2008). ECs are absorptive, and the others have secretory function. The epithelium renews its cells after every 4-5 days and is fueled by proliferative stem cells residing at the bottom of the crypt. In mammals, swallowed food passes through the esophagus to the stomach, where food accumulates and digestion proceeds; it then moves to the small intestine for nutrient absorption and later to the large intestine for further nutrient, water and electrolyte absorption. Finally, it reaches the rectum and anus for excretion (Thompson and Malagelada, 1981).

Large Intestine- The large intestine is made of 3 parts; the cecum, the colon, and the rectum. Some refer to the large intestine as the colon, because the colon contains four separate parts; the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon, and the sigmoid colon (WebMD (2).) The cecum connects the small and the large intestine, acting as a transition area for food to travel. The ascending colon takes feces from the cecum to the transverse colon, during this process, bacteria digest fecal matter for the release of vitamins. The longest part of the colon, the transverse colon, is where the most absorption within the large intestine takes place. The descending colon transports feces from the transverse colon to the sigmoid colon. The descending colon walls also absorb water, nutrients, and vitamins from the feces, and can store the feces until it is read to be eliminated. The sigmoid colon can also

The food is now close to completing the journey. Solid waste is now present in the large intestine where it remains for a short or long period. At a point later, the muscles force the accumulation of waste material (feces) through the anal canal and out through the

There are four components to the large intestine; the cecum, the colon, the rectum, and finally the anus. While it does vary from species to species, the Florida manatee does have a cecum. This is a site for fermentation to occur where the ileum and colon meet. Next in the large intestine is the colon, and after that is the rectum. This is the last part of the large intestine and it is, for the most part, a storage area for waste such as feces. It should be noted that more water absorption does occur here. After moving through the entire system, undigested waste exits the body through the anus. This is another sphincter that food must pass through and it is composed of skeletal and smooth

Mucus, a slimy substance helps in lubricating the intestinal contents and to transport it through the bowel. The ileocecal valve that separates small and large intestines has chyme passing through it, approximately 1.5 to 2 litres (0.4 to 0.5 gallons) each day (Rogers, 2010).The large intestine can be divided into few parts including the cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and sigmoid colon. As mentioned earlier, the large intestine works to absorb water, maintain the osmolality, and for faecal material storage until the process of defecation

The organs that make up the digestive tract are the esophagus, mouth, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum, and anus. These are sometimes referred to as “hollow” organs. Inside these organs is a lining called the mucus membrane or mucosa. In the mouth, stomach, and small intestine, the mucus membrane contains tiny glands that produce juices to aid in digesting food (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2012). The digestive tract also contains a layer of smooth muscle that helps break down food and move it along the tract. The liver and pancreas, also referred to as “solid” digestive organs, produce digestive juices that reach the intestine through small tubes called ducts. The gallbladder stores the liver's digestive juices until they are needed in the intestine (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2012). Digestion involves mixing food with digestive juices, moving it through the digestive tract, and breaking food into smaller molecules. Digestion begins in the mouth and is completed in the small intestine. The first major muscle movement is when food or liquid is swallowed. Swallowed food is pushed into the esophagus (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2012). Where the esophagus and stomach meet, there is a ring like muscle, called the lower esophageal sphincter, which, closes the passage between the two organs. As