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Letters to the Editor
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Acute diverticulitis
NHS Direct correction
From Ms M. Griffiths, MRPharmS
Acute diverticulitis is an extremely painful, debilitating and dangerous
condition because of the risk of bowel perforation and peritonitis. Celebrity
sufferers such as Chris Rea, Liam Neeson and Lady Olga Maitland have
provided national newspaper headlines in recent years about their immediate
treatment by surgery and colon resection. The Pharmaceutical Journal (21/28 December 2002, p908) has also described
a case where emergency
hospital treatment was needed in the US.
A patient seeking help from NHS Direct online (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk)
will read that for diverticulitis they should increase bulk forming supplements
and bran. They are told that diverticulitis goes unnoticed and only 10
per cent of cases have any symptoms. Self-treatment of acute diverticulitis
is by laxatives and antispasmodics.
These recommendations are the opposite of the treatment which should
be considered for acute or chronic diverticulitis. It is obvious that
NHS Direct does not know the difference between diverticulosis and diverticulitis.
Patients sometimes make this mistake but professionals advising them
should not.
I hope this will be corrected before people taking emergency calls or
first contact decide that acute diverticulitis is not urgent.
Mary Griffiths
Macclesfield, Cheshire
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KATIE ROBINSON, on behalf of NHS Direct Online, states:
We welcome
feedback on the content of the website and users can comment online
via the “contact
us” section on the homepage. The feedback from Mary Griffiths on
diverticulitis is extremely helpful. Having reviewed this, we have removed
the topic from NHS Direct Online and are now in the process of rewriting
the section under the heading of “diverticular problems”.
There will be a clear differentiation between diverticulosis, diverticular
disease and diverticulitis and their appropriate treatments. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal