Acute Diverticulitis: A Rare Cause of Abdominal Pain

There is an increasing incidence of diverticulosis and diverticulitis in the younger populations; and its occurrence in very young individual is concerning. Here we report a rare and interesting case of a 20-year-old man who presented with 3-day history of epigastric abdominal pain associated with diarrhea and nausea. His abdominal examination revealed mild tenderness in the right lower abdominal quadrant. Computed tomography (CT) scan of abdomen with intravenous contrast revealed scattered diverticula throughout the colon with focal thickening, pericolonic infiltrative changes suggestive of acute diverticulitis in the distal ascending colon. He was treated with intravenous hydration and antibiotics and discharged when his clinical status improved. He underwent colonoscopy 1 month later which showed pan diverticulosis. This case illustrates the importance of considering acute diverticulitis in the differential diagnosis of right lower quadrant pain when evaluating a young patient.