You hear a lot of talk about diverticula—they become quite common as one gets older. In fact, nearly half of people in their 70’s have developed some diverticula.
But what are they, and why do they cause problems? The colon is a tube-like organ with a layer of muscle in the wall. Where the blood vessels enter this wall, there is a weak spot without muscle. This weak spot can bulge out when the pres…