Appendicitis: The Warning Signs & Symptoms
Appendicitis is caused by the inflammation of the appendix, a small extension off the side of the large bowel. It's more commonly suffered by children rather than adults although it can occur at any age.
Appendicitis is usually caused by infection of, or something like faeces blocking, the appendix. It's not conclusively known why some infections occur in the appendix but one suggestion is bacteria more usually found in the gut, somehow find a way through to the appendix - perhaps due to a weakness in the body's natural defences - and go on to cause the infection and inflammation.
While appendicitis can happen to anyone, male or female and of any age, it does appear more frequently in children.
What are the warning signs & symptoms of appendicitis?
In adults it is often noticed as a steadily worsening pain to the right side of the stomach. The pain can come and go but over a period of hours it tends to worsen. Vomiting, constipation or diarrhoea can occur but not in every instance. The persistent and worsening pain to the right hand side of the lower abdomen is the most common symptom.
Children usually describe a pain in the centre of the abdomen at first which, as in adults, seems to come and go in phases at first. Eventually the pain seems to shift to the lower right side of the abdomen and become more constant and worse. In children a loss of appetite and vomiting can occur as can constipation or diarrhoea. Children usually become feverish, flushed and sometimes display a dry, coated tongue. They often lie in one position due to the pain which can be severe enough to cause some distress to children.
Appendicitis should always be suspected whenever there's severe or prolonged pain in the abdomen and medical help should be called for. Unfortunately a diagnosis of appendicitis can easily get mistaken and estimates say around a third or more operations to remove the appendix are found not to have been caused by appendicitis. Because of the reliance on abdominal pain as the surest symptom, appendicitis is easily confused with other ailments like urinary infection or even indigestion or food poisoning.
What you should do if you suspect appendicitis
If you or your child experience severe abdominal pain for any extended period at all then call medical help. The patient should refrain from eating or drinking until a qualified diagnosis has been confirmed. If appendicitis is diagnosed then urgent surgery usually follows to remove the appendix. The procedure is called an appendicectomy (or appendectomy) and it needs to be carried out quickly before the appendix bursts or perforates which can lead to complications such as peritonitis.
Children usually recover from an appendicectomy in just a few days. As with most kinds of invasive surgery post operative complications such as infection can sometimes occur. If you suspect any such problem always seek medical help as soon as possible.
20.07.2010. 04:09
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