What is Appendicitis?
What is Appendicitis?Acute Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. It’s a medical emergency that almost always requires surgery as soon as possible to remove the appendix. Luckily, you can live just fine without it.
Where Is Your Appendix?
The appendix is a small, thin pouch about 5 to 10cm (2 to 4 inches) long. It’s connected to the large intestine, where poo forms.
What Causes Acute Appendicitis?
Although it can strike at any age, appendicitis is rare in children younger than 2. It’s most likely to affect people between the ages of 10 and 30.
Appendicitis happens when the appendix gets blocked, often by poop, a foreign body (something inside you that isn’t supposed to be there), or cancer. Blockage may also result from the infection since the appendix can swell in response to any infection in the body.
What Are the Symptoms of Appendicitis?
Signs and symptoms of appendicitis may include:
- Sudden pain that begins on the right side of the lower abdomen
- Sudden pain that begins around your navel and often shifts to your lower right abdomen
- Pain that worsens if you cough, walk, or make other jarring movements
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Low-grade fever that may worsen as the illness progresses
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Abdominal bloating
- Flatulence
The site of your pain may vary, depending on your age and the position of your appendix. When you’re pregnant, the pain may seem to come from your upper abdomen because your appendix is higher during pregnancy.
How Is Appendicitis Diagnosed?
These tests can help diagnose appendicitis:
- Physical exam to assess your pain
- Urine test to rule out a urinary tract infection
- Rectal exam
- Blood test to see whether your body is fighting an infection
- CT scans
- Ultrasound
What Is the Treatment for Acute Appendicitis?
Appendicitis is almost always treated as an emergency. Surgery to remove the appendix, which is called an appendectomy, is the standard treatment for almost all cases of appendicitis.
The doctor removes your appendix through a 4-inch-long cut or with a device called a laparoscope (a thin telescope-like tool that lets them see inside your belly). This procedure is called laparoscopy. If you have peritonitis, the surgeon will also clean out your belly and drain the pus.
You can get up and move around within 12 hours after surgery. You should be able to go back to your normal routine in 2 to 3 weeks. If you had a laparoscopy, recovery is faster.
Appendicitis Complications
Left untreated, an inflamed appendix will burst, spilling bacteria and debris into the abdominal cavity, the central part of your body that holds your liver, stomach, and intestines. This can lead to peritonitis, a serious inflammation of the abdominal cavity’s lining (the peritoneum). It can be deadly unless it is treated quickly with strong antibiotics.
Sometimes, an abscess forms outside an inflamed appendix. Scar tissue then “walls off” the appendix from the rest of your organs. This keeps the infection from spreading. But an abscessed appendix can tear and lead to peritonitis.
