Sympton of Appendicitis
Appendicitis (say: a-pen-da-SIE-tis) is an inflammation or swelling of the appendix (say: a-PEN-diks). The appendix is a small, tube-like structure attached to the first part of the large intestine, called the colon. It is in the lower right side of your child’s abdomen (belly). It has no known use in the body.
This can be caused by an infection or blockage of the appendix. With a blockage, the appendix can become swollen and easily infected by bacteria. If the diagnosis is delayed, the appendix can rupture. If the infected appendix isn’t removed, it can burst and spread bacteria and infection throughout the abdomen and lead to serious health problems.This results in peritonitis or the formation of an abscess around the appendix.
Call your doctor immediately if you suspect that your child has appendicitis. The earlier it’s caught, the easier it will be to treat.
Abdominal pain is the hallmark symptom of appendicitis. What can confuse people, though, is how the pain starts and can change. Most people associate appendicitis with right lower quadrant pain (the right lower side of the belly), but overlook the fact that the pain often starts as a more generalized pain or pain that is just around the belly button (periumbilical pain).
With classic appendicitis, the pain then moves to the right lower quadrant over the area of the appendix. The pain is worse with movement, and the child may have a hard time getting comfortable.
Other common appendicitis symptoms can include:
• vomiting, although it is usually not repeated vomiting like you might have with a stomach virus
• loss of appetite
• nausea
• abdominal swelling
• low grade fever
Other appendicitis symptoms can sometimes include constipation, diarrhea, and urinating more often than usual.
The best treatment of appendicitis is removal of the appendix. The operation may be done through a single incision over the appendix or by laparoscopy (‘key hole’ surgery). Antibiotics are given at the time of the operation to reduce the chance of infection.
About one in five children who have an operation for appendicitis turn out to have another cause for their pain. This has to be balanced against the risk of the appendix rupturing if the operation is unduly delayed. The surgical team will discuss the factors in the decision to operate in detail with you.