Appendicitis
Appendicitis occurs in the appendix area, which is situated on the lower right side of the abdomen or belly. It further makes the appendix infected or inflamed. The appendix is a small tube-shaped organ that remains attached to the large intestine and does not possess any function. However, appendicitis is a serious condition that requires an appendectomy to demolish the falling appendix.
According to the research, it is found that almost 5% of Americans develop this problem and is considered as the no 1 cause for abdominal pain that requires surgery. Normally, persons from 5-20 years old can have appendicitis, which is highly rare among children.
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Everything You Need To Know About Appendicitis
What Is It?
The appendix is a 3 ½ inch long tube of tissues that extends its position from the large intestine and is located in your body’s lower right side. This contains some specialized tissues that can form antibodies, but the function of this is still unknown to everyone.
However, appendicitis is the inflammation or pain of the appendix or the rapture state of the appendix as well. The pain starts to trigger around the naval areas in most people and then slowly spreads its dimension. This at first provides a low amount of pain, but with the due course of time, this worsens and can turn into severe pain.
Appendicitis can further be divided into two parts, including the acute or chronic. In acute appendicitis, the symptoms that the individual obtains are quite severe and can develop anytime. However, the symptoms are quite mild in the chronic stage and might go automatically after a few weeks, months, or years.
Causes
The causes of appendicitis are still not clear however, it is considered that some kind of inflammation and infection is triggered in such a situation. Some of the common causes that might include are further listed below:
- Growth inside the appendix
- Enlarged lymphoid follicles
- Abdominal injury or trauma
- Inflammatory bowel diseases
- Blockage of the opening area that connects the intestines with the appendix
- Digestive Tract Infections
- Intestinal worms
- Building of hardened stools
- Tumors
Symptoms
The pain in the lower abdomen where the appendix is situated is the main symptom of this problem. The symptoms of these can get worst in due course of time. Some of the common symptoms of appendicitis include the following:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain includes the sensation of tenderness that further hurts more while performing sneeze, cough, movement, and inhales.
- Diarrhea
- Low-grade fever of fewer than 100 degrees F
- Constipation
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen belly
- Inability to pass gas
- Indigestion
Treatments
The doctors further consider the treatment options depending on the conditions of appendicitis. There are some cases that showed that this condition can get better without any treatment or surgery, but these types of cases are highly rare in nature. But in most cases, the general surgeon can opt for surgery which is also commonly known as appendectomy.
Furthermore, if you have an abscess that is still not ruptured, a doctor might first look for the abscess before performing the surgery. In this situation, they will first provide antibiotics, and then with the help of a needle, they will bring out all the abscesses of pus.
Tests for Appendicitis
When the doctors suspect you are positive with appendicitis, they might perform a physical exam and will also check for tenderness in that area.
After obtaining the results from the physical exam, your doctors can further opt for several tests that include:
- Pregnancy test- This is necessary as sometimes the ectopic pregnancy is mistaken with the same. However, this test is performed by collecting samples of urines and blood. Sometimes transvaginal ultrasounds can also be performed.
- Urine tests- A urine test is needed to check the infection and stones present in the kidney. However, urinalysis is obtained to perform the urine tests.
- Complete blood count- The doctor can opt for CBC to check the presence of infections and to perform it, the doctor can demand the sample of your blood.
- Abdominal imaging tests- This is performed to check the infections present in the appendix. Some of the common imaging tests are ultrasound, X–ray, CT scan, MRI scan. This also identifies the presence of fecal infection and abdominal abscess.
Surgery for Appendicitis
The common surgical process that is used to treat appendicitis by doctors includes appendectomy. In this process, the doctors first remove the appendix when it has completed its bursting and will further clean out the cavity present in there.
In some cases, the doctor can opt for laparoscopy to undergo minimally invasive surgery. Also, in other cases, they may opt for open surgery to remove the appendix.
Unlike other surgery, there are some risks associated with appendectomy. However, the risks of this are quite lower than untreated appendicitis.
Conclusion
This is really something serious and can turn into worse without providing prompt medical conditions. Thus, if you find any symptoms, it is recommended to go and consult with the doctor ad if found appendicitis, you should not wait for treatment.
However, usually, the person is evaluated by a general or other type of surgeon. Once appendicitis is suspected, a general surgeon is always consulted if surgery is necessary.