As you get older, small pockets called diverticula may appear in the large intestine or colon -- or if you grow only one pocket, a diverticulum may appear. Doctors call it diverticulosis. Most patients with diverticulosis never show symptoms. Occasionally, however, one or more pockets become inflamed, leading to a potentially serious disease called diverticulitis. Diverticulitis can cause a wide range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, usually on the left, fatigue, weakness or discomfort and low fever. Diverticulitis requires immediate diagnosis and treatment by specialists, usually colon and rectal surgeons. Antibiotics help eliminate bacteria that cause diverticulitis. Antibiotics kill bacteria that cause infection. If you don't treat diverticulitis with antibiotics in time, the infection may escalate, and you may develop more severe abdominal pain accompanied by high fever and various other late bacteremia that can lead to sepsis, shock, coma and organ failure. Infected diverticula may perforate or rupture, splashing pus or feces into the abdominal cavity. Without treatment, these complications can become irreversible and lead to death. Levoquinoline is a trademark of levofloxacin and an effective antibiotic against bacteria associated with diverticulitis. Levoquine has several side effects, including tendon inflammation and rupture; it is only taken when prescribed by a doctor. Other antibiotics in this class of antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, can be used instead of levoquine. You must take these antibiotics for 10 days to two or three weeks to adequately treat infections and prevent complications. Usually, your doctor will prescribe metronidazole, an antibiotic that is effective against different bacteria, to expand the use of antibiotics. Metronidazole also has side effects; do not drink alcohol when taking the drug. If you have a diverticulitis, you have an increased risk of recurrence. If this happens frequently, your doctor may recommend selective excision or resection of the diseased part of the colon. Severe diverticulitis requires hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics. If perforation or antibiotic therapy does not solve the disease process, you may need emergency surgery.
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