About 50% of Americans over the age of 60 have diverticulosis, but only a small percentage of them have symptoms or complications.

Diverticulosis is a condition in which little sacs, or out-pouchings, develop in the wall of the colon that tend to appear and increase in number with age. Typically, the only problems people have with diverticulosis is when these pouches become infected or inflamed, causing diverticulitis.