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Query: UMLS:C1510475 (diverticular disease)
 2,138 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The muscle abnormality in diverticular disease is seen most often in surgically excised specimens in the sigmoid colon, though a pancolonic form of the disease without muscle thickening also exists in the elderly. In terms of physiopathology, the condition has a raised intraluminal pressure operating on the wall locally, this being most readily demonstrated in symptomatic patients. In Western societies the colon loses its tensile properties throughout life. The anatomical and functional evidence is that the colon is outstandingly strong in infancy in both Africans and Europeans, but later the mechanical properties of the African colon become superior and they remain so throughout ensuing decades. The diminished tensile strength and elasticity of the wall is no different in the diverticular and non-diverticular subjects and this suggests that an additional factor, such as pressure, may be necessary in Europeans to cause the mucosal extrusion which constitutes each diverticulum. Fiber fills the colon with bulkier, moister feces, which necessitates less work, especially as it operates for most of the time as a low-pressure system, only occasionally evacuating by mass peristalsis into the rectum. Cereal fiber binds salt and water and there is evidence that this is mostly a physicochemical process, dependent on particle size. Certain types of fibers undergo chemical degradation in the cecum and increase the bacterial population of the stool. Population studies show that diverticular disease subjects consume less fiber and in countries where the fiber intake is reduced, fecal output is lessened, transit is slower, and intraluminal pressure may be rising. As a result of the adoption of high-fiber diets and the use of bulking agents elective operations for diverticular disease are less commonly performed. The number of operations in most Western countries may be increasing because of increasing longevity. Complications often arise after a relatively short history; most are explicable on the basis of sudden pressure increments. The recent important finding in this disease is the change in colonic wall compliance, which probably occurs because of a collagen failure. Contraction of the taeniae may follow elastosis, which may relate to under-filling; this produces the contracted structure seen in the excised colonic specimen. The strength of the colonic wall diminishes throughout life, due to changes in its composition; some of these changes are hastened by self-imposed stresses, which currently seem to be mainly of dietary origin.
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PMID:Colonic muscle in diverticular disease. 353 14

The tensile properties of the colon have been examined using methods which gave repeatable results. They showed little change after storage in salt for up to five weeks. The burst strength remained unchanged along the length of the colon. The tensile strength fell distally, as the thickness of the colonic wall increased. The width at burst decreased distally as did the internal diameter. The visco-elastic property of stress relaxation was constant in all regions. The tensile property of the colon was well developed at birth, but fell with age as did the width at burst and the internal diameter. Stress relaxation was unaffected. Because there may be a mechanical abnormality of the colonic wall in diverticular disease and as Europeans are prone to this condition while Africans are not commonly affected, European and African colons were compared. The tensile strength in a Kampala group was greater than in an Edinburgh one, but fell significantly in both groups with age. The width at burst was greater in the Kampala group, but also declined with age. Stress-relaxation was similar in both groups. In view of the similar properties in childhood of colons from Edinburgh and Kampala, the strength of the adult African compared with European colons may derive later from environmental factors such as diet. There were, however, no differences between the colons with and without diverticular disease in European subjects over the age of 50 years.
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PMID:Mechanical properties of the colon: comparison of the features of the African and European colon in vitro. 392 Jan 26

This article describes changes in the basic digestive functions (motility, secretion, intraluminal digestion, absorption) that occur during aging. Elderly individuals frequently have oropharyngeal muscle dysmotility and altered swallowing of food. Reductions in esophageal peristalsis and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressures are also more common in the aged and may cause gastroesophageal reflux. Gastric motility and emptying and small bowel motility are generally normal in elderly subjects, although delayed motility and gastric emptying have been reported in some cases. The propulsive motility of the colon is also decreased, and this alteration is associated with neurological and endocrine-paracrine changes in the colonic wall. Decreased gastric secretions (acid, pepsin) and impairment of the mucous-bicarbonate barrier are frequently described in the elderly and may lead to gastric ulcer. Exocrine pancreatic secretion is often decreased, as is the bile salt content of bile. These changes represent the underlying mechanisms of symptomatic gastrointestinal dysfunctions in the elderly, such as dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, primary dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, primary constipation, maldigestion, and reduced absorption of nutrients. Therapeutic management of these conditions is also described. The authors also review the gastrointestinal diseases that are more common in the elderly, such as atrophic gastritis, gastric ulcer, colon diverticulosis, malignant tumors, gallstones, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC), and chronic pancreatitis.
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PMID:Changes, functional disorders, and diseases in the gastrointestinal tract of elderly. 2247 8

Dietary lifestyle is relevant for prevention and treatment of various colorectal conditions. Colorectal disorders have significant morbidity and mortality in a western-style community, particularly irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colorectal cancer, haemorrhoids, constipation and diverticular disease. This review addresses how bowel health can be maintained, what foods and dietary lifestyles are associated with risk for disease and what foods are of real value in management. Bowel health is that state where the individual is satisfied with defaecation, the diet does not create undue risk for disease and lumenal contents maintain an intact and functional mucosa. Bowel health depends on a healthy dietary lifestyle, but in particular on an adequate intake of non-digestable dietary polysaccharide. Diet influences biology in part by altering the lumenal environment. Effects such as high butyrate levels, lowered pH, a predominance of 'healthy'over 'unhealthy' bacteria, rapid intestinal transit, high faecal bulk, a non-leaky epithelial barrier, adsorption of dietary carcinogens by fibre, low bile salt concentrations, reduced generation of toxic bile salts or protein derivatives and provision of certain bioactive substances are seen as beneficial. Diet influences future risk for colorectal cancer (vegetables, animal fats, polysaccharides amongst others) and for diverticular disease (fibre). Adequate fibre and resistant starch can improve constipation and anorectal conditions such as fissure and haemorrhoids. The role of diet in managing patients with IBS is complex. Fibre may worsen symptoms in severe cases of IBS, diverticular disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Certain carbohydrates of limited digestibility/absorbability, such as lactose, fructose and sorbitol, can precipitate IBS symptoms. Low fat, high fibre diets may reduce recurrence of colorectal adenomas. Diet has a significant role to play in colorectal disorders.
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PMID:Colorectal disorders: A dietary management perspective. 2439 83