Diverticulosis is defined as which of the following?

• A. Inflammation and infection of diverticula
• B. Blockage of the colon
• C. Cancers of the colon
• D. The chronic presence of an abnormal number of diverticula in the colon

Answer: (D)

Diverticulosis is about the ongoing presence of diverticula in the colon. Diverticula are small pouches that bulge from the colon wall, and when these exist chronically (often many of them) the condition is diverticulosis. It’s usually asymptomatic, contrasting with diverticulitis, which is inflammation and infection of those pouches. The other options describe different problems—blockage of the colon is obstruction, and cancers refer to colon cancer. So the best description is the chronic presence of an abnormal number of diverticula in the colon.