Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Nov;4(6):277-86.
doi: 10.1177/2040622313498809.

Preventing recurrent acute diverticulitis with pharmacological therapies

Antonio Tursi  1
Affiliations

Preventing recurrent acute diverticulitis with pharmacological therapies

Antonio Tursi. Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Acute diverticulitis of the colon represents a significant burden for national health systems, in terms of direct and indirect costs. Past guidelines claimed that recurrent episodes (two or more) of diverticulitis need surgery, but revised guidelines recommend an individualized approach to patients after an attack of acute diverticulitis. For these reasons, conservative treatment has become the preferred choice after an episode of diverticulitis. Thus, significant efforts are now being focused to identify the correct therapeutic approach to prevent diverticulitis relapses. Nonabsorbable antibiotics, 5-aminosalicylic acid and probiotics are currently being investigated in this way. The effectiveness and the future perspectives of these treatments are discussed herein.

Keywords: 5-aminosalicylic acid; acute diverticulitis; high-fiber diet; nonabsorbable antibiotics; probiotics; recurrence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The author declares no conflict of interest in preparing this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Proposed treatment algorithm after acute diverticulitis. CT, computed tomography.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Batra A., Siegmund B. (2012) The role of visceral fat. Dig Dis 30: 70–74 - PubMed
    1. Bargellini T., Martellucci J., Tonelli P., Valeri A. (2013) Long-term results of treatment of acute diverticulitis: still lessons to be learned? Updates Surg 65: 125–130 - PubMed
    1. Bassotti G., Villanacci V. (2012) Colonic diverticular disease: abnormalities of neuromuscular function. Dig Dis 30: 24–28 - PubMed
    1. Bengmark S. (1998) Ecological control of the gastrointestinal tract. The role of probiotic flora. Gut 42: 2–7 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bianchi M., Festa V., Moretti A., Ciaco A., Mangone M., Tornatore V., et al. (2011) Meta-analysis: long-term therapy with rifaximin in the management of uncomplicated diverticular disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 33: 902–910 - PubMed