Appendicitis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Appendicitis is inflamation of the appendix. When treated promptly, most patients recover without difficulty. If treatment is delayed, the appendix can burst, causing infection and even death. Appendicitis can get both are male &female, but it occurs most often between the ages of 10 and 30. The appendix is a small finger-like organ that's attached to the large intestine in the lower right side of the abdomen. The inside of the appendix forms a cul-de-sac that usually opens into the large intestine. When that opening gets blocked, the appendix swells and can easily get infected by bacteria.

Appendicitis is a common and urgent surgical illness with protean manifestations; generous overlap with other clinical syndromes; and significant morbidity, which increases with diagnostic delay. No single sign, symptom, or diagnostic test accurately confirms the diagnosis of appendiceal inflammation in all cases. Appendicitis is one of the most common reasons for emergency abdominal surgery in children. An abscessed appendix is a less urgent situation, but unfortunately, it can't be identified without surgery. For this reason, all cases of appendicitis are treated as emergencies, requiring surgery. A Apendicitis can cause serious problems if neglected. It is no less true that unjustified fear (that it may be present when, in fact, it is not) is also responsible for much needless anxiety.

In appendicitis (the ending "itis" means inflamed or infected), the appendix is inflamed. That happens when the opening between the cecum and appendix is blocked. The blockage can occur when a fecalith (a stone made of feces) gets in and fills the entrance to the appendix. Sometimes, a small fruit pit can do the same thing. Synonyms of Appendicitis appendiceal perforation, appendectomy, right lower quadrant pain, vomiting, periumbilical pain, Rovsing sign, obturator sign, psoas sign, positive cough sign, appendicitis, burst appendix, luminal obstruction . As the appendix swells still more, another symptom appears: a typical pain around the the navel (medically known as periumbilical pain), not even close to where the appendix lies. Here, in this pain, we have an interesting phenomenon-referred pain. With the appendix increasingly diseased, messages are transmitted by nerves to the spinal cord and brain, and since those nerves also supply other areas, the brain interprets the pain as coming from the periumbilical area.

When vomiting occurs, it nearly always follows the onset of pain. Vomiting that precedes pain is suggestive of intestinal obstruction, and the diagnosis of appendicitis should be reconsidered. Yet it is possible for you to determine with reasonable accuracy, when you may and may not have appendicitis. Moreover, if you should find yourself in a situation where you are far from medical aid and must take step not only to diagnose your own or someone else's appendicitis but also to keep it under good control until expert help is available, it's minently possible for you to do so.

The appendix does have a nerve supply which it shares with other areas. And as appendicitis begins to develop, although there is as yet no pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen where the appendix is, the distention of the blocked organ is signaled through the nerves;and at this point the first symptom Occurs: nausea or "upset stomach" which may progress to vomiting.

Causes of Appendicitis

Common Causes of Appendicitis are :

• blockage of the inside of the appendix, known as the lumen
• bacterial or viral infections in the digestive tract can lead to swelling of lymph nodes, which squeeze the appendix and cause obstruction .
• Genetics
• Populations with high fiber diets have a low incidence of appendicitis and diverticulitis leading some to conclude diet induced constipation is a contributing cause .
• Deprived of blood, the appendix loses the ability to fight infection and fecal bacteria begin to grow out of control. Although spontaneous recovery can rarely occur, with time and lack of treatment the walls of the appendix eventually become gangrenous from the infection and lack of blood flow.
• bacteria begin to leak out through the dying walls, pus forms within and around the appendix (suppuration).
• third hypothesis, which has gained less attention, proposes that a lack of adequate sanitary facilities in the developing world may actually have a protective effect against later appendicitis
• Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes blocked, often by stool, a foreign body, or cancer.
• The most common causes of luminal obstruction are fecaliths and lymphoid follicle hyperplasia.
• Obstruction of the appendiceal lumen has less commonly been associated with parasites (eg, Schistosomes species, Strongyloides species), foreign material (eg, shotgun pellet, intrauterine device, tongue stud, activated charcoal), tuberculosis, and tumors.

Symptoms of Appendicitis

Sign and Symptoms of Appendicitis are :

• loss of appetite
• low fever that begins after other symptoms
• abdominal swelling
• people infected with the HIV virus
• obese people
• These classic signs and symptoms are more likely the younger the patient.
• There is typically pain and tenderness in the right iliac fossa in both typical and atypical (suppurative) appendicitis
• swollen or bloated abdomen, especially in infants
• The symptoms of appendicitis can vary according to a child's age. Appendicitis is rare in infants. In kids who are 2 years old or younger, the most common symptoms of appendicitis are vomiting and a bloated or swollen abdomen, accompanied by pain.
• Fever of 99° F to 102° F
• Painful urination

Treament of Appendicitis

Some effective treatment methods for treating Appendicitis:

• If the diagnosis is uncertain, people may be watched and sometimes treated with antibiotics
• The doctor may choose to drain the abscess and leave the drain in the abscess cavity for several weeks. An appendectomy may be scheduled after the abscess is drained.
• laparoscopic approach - If the findings reveal suppurative appendicitis with complications such as rupture,abscess, adhesions, etc., conversion to open laparotomy may be necessary.
• Antibiotics are often given intravenously to help kill remaining bacteria and thus reduce the incidence of infectious complication in the abdomen or wound.
• Before and after surgery, intravenous (IV) fluids and antibiotics will help keep infection at bay and decrease the risk for wound infections after surgery. If needed, your child will also receive pain medication.
• There is no way to prevent appendicitis. However, appendicitis is less common in people who eat foods high in fiber, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.