What are the symptoms of appendicitis and how to treat it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You only have a day to avoid life-threatening complications.

Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, that is, the appendix of the cecum. It is a small organ that has ceased to participate in digestion.

Most often, it becomes inflamed in people 10-30 years old, but in general you can get sick at any age.

In the Russian Federation, up to a million NEW AND OLD LOOKING ON THE PROBLEM OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS DURING PREGNANCY (LITERATURE REVIEW) people face appendicitis every year. The risk that this disease will sooner or later arise in you is about 7%

APPENDICITIS.

If you do not seek help in time, you can die.

When you need to urgently call an ambulance

Dial 103, 112 or go to the nearest emergency room if these appendicitis symptoms appear Appendicitis: Early Symptoms, Causes, Pain Location:

1. Drawing pain in the navel or in the right lower abdomen. Sometimes she can give to the thigh. In most cases, pain is the first sign of appendicitis.
2. Loss of appetite.
3. Weakness, lethargy.
4. Pallor.
5. Nausea and vomiting. Sometimes they appear immediately, and sometimes several hours after the onset of pain.
6. Cold sweat.
7. Bloating, trouble passing gas.
8. Frequent palpitations.
9. Temperature increase. Sometimes it can be insignificant - a little more than 37 ° С. Sometimes the fever jumps to almost 39 ° C.

What to do if you are in doubt if it is appendicitis

If there seem to be dangerous symptoms, but the state of health seems to be tolerable and does not require an ambulance call, double-check yourself with the help of self-diagnosis techniques 9 Appendicitis Symptoms You Should Know, According to Doctors.

1. Cough. If it is appendicitis, the pain in the right side of the abdomen will worsen.
2. Lying on your left side, lightly press your palm on the sore spot, and then quickly remove your hand. With appendicitis, the pain will become stronger at this very moment.
3. Roll onto your left side and stretch your legs. With appendicitis, the pain will get worse.

However, it is important to understand that self-diagnosis must be taken critically. Monitor your condition. If symptoms suggestive of appendicitis become more severe, call an ambulance immediately or go to the emergency department. There is a high risk that it is still appendicitis and that you will need urgent surgery.

What not to do before seeing a doctor

Firstly, you cannot take painkillers, sorbents or any other drugs, put enemas. Self-medication may change symptoms and make appendicitis more difficult to identify.

Secondly, you cannot put pressure on your stomach on your own and try to feel what is sick there. Due to the strong impact, the appendix can, roughly speaking, break through. This will lead to complications.

Where does appendicitis come from?

Why an appendix is needed, modern science vaguely presents an Appendix (Anatomy): Appendix Picture, Location, Definition. Some consider it a useless rudiment and support this version by the fact that after its removal, there are usually no health consequences.

Others suggest that the scion serves as a kind of storage of "good" bacteria, which is necessary to reboot the intestinal microflora, which has suffered, for example, from diarrhea.

There are really a lot of bacteria in the appendix. And it is they who are often to blame for the development of appendicitis.

When the lumen of the appendix, which connects it with the cecum, for some reason narrows or completely blocks, the number of bacteria in the appendix grows rapidly. This is how inflammation begins, that is, appendicitis.

Why the appendix lumen narrows is a difficult question. Doctors do not always manage to answer it with Symptoms & Causes of Appendicitis. But most often the reason is:

• infections of the gastrointestinal tract and other abdominal organs;
• chronic inflammatory processes in the intestines;
• accumulation of hardened stools;
• parasites;
• problems with blood vessels;
• neoplasms;
• abdominal trauma.

Why appendicitis is dangerous

If the inflamed process is not quickly removed or inadvertently applied to it, it can rupture. As a result, bacteria and pus that has accumulated in the appendix will enter the abdominal cavity and cause inflammation of its mucous membrane. This condition is called peritonitis and is deadly because it often causes blood poisoning.

Alexander J. Greenstein MD, surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York

From the onset of the first symptoms to the rupture of the appendix, as a rule, it takes about a day 9 Appendicitis Symptoms You Should Know, According to Doctors. Therefore, it is imperative to act quickly.

However, sometimes it can take up to three days between the first symptoms and the rupture. But you should not delay calling an ambulance: it is not known at what speed the process will proceed in your case.

Consider one more point. Once the appendix ruptures, the pain may subside for a while. In no case do not trust this supposed improvement in well-being. If you have had symptoms of appendicitis, and then they seem to have disappeared by themselves, it is still necessary to seek medical attention. There is a risk that the pain will return, and with peritonitis, it is even stronger.

In very rare cases, acute appendicitis turns into chronic Chronic appendicitis: an uncommon cause of chronic abdominal pain form. But at any moment, this chronicle may again require urgent surgical intervention.

How to treat appendicitis

So far, the only effective method of treating appendicitis is the removal of the appendix. This operation is called an appendectomy. It is performed under general anesthesia.

Of course, the doctors will first clarify whether it is really about appendicitis. To do this, you will have to pass several Appendicitis tests:

1. Physical examination … The surgeon will feel the site of potential inflammation to determine where the painful area is.
2. Blood test … It will show the number of leukocytes - white blood cells that indicate inflammation.
3. Analysis of urine … It is needed to rule out other popular causes of abdominal pain, such as urinary tract infections or kidney stones.
4. Hardware research … You will most likely have an abdominal ultrasound scan. You may also need computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to confirm appendicitis or make another diagnosis.

Appendicitis is removed either through one large incision in the abdomen 5-10 cm long (a scar may remain after it), or through several small ones (this type of operation is called laparoscopy, it leaves minimal marks on the skin). Before surgery, you will be asked to take an antibiotic to reduce the risk of bacterial complications.

After an appendectomy, you will have to spend several days in the hospital. And it will take another 7 days or more to recover.

It will be possible to return to school or work within a week after the operation, if it goes well. But the gym or other physical activity should be postponed for 2-4 weeks - the attending physician will call the specific period.

What to do to prevent appendicitis

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent appendicitis Appendicitis Prevention | Cleveland Clinic. Only one connection has been established: inflammation of the appendix is less common in people whose diet includes foods high in fiber - fresh vegetables and fruits, bran, whole grain bread, nuts, and legumes.