Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix, requiring urgent surgical removal to prevent serious complications like perforation and peritonitis. Common causes include blockage and infections, with symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. Diagnosis can be tricky due to overlapping symptoms with other abdominal issues, and treatment typically involves an appendectomy, often performed laparoscopically for quicker recovery.

1. 2016
MOHAMMAD YASER HUSSAIN
APOLLOHOSPITALS
4/10/2016
Appendicitis

2. Appendicitis is basically known as the inflammation of the appendix, a vestigial organ found
in the large intestine of humans. The appendix is basically a 3.5 inch long, tube like organ
made up primarily of tissue that extends and hangs out from the long intestine of humans.
Since it is a vestigial organ, no one knows about the real function of this organ. It has been
proven that humans can live healthily without their appendix, as the amount of collagen that
is to be processed by humans is comparatively low.
Appendicitis emerges out to be a medical emergency which requires a quick surgical
procedure in order to remove the organ. In case it is left untreated, it can burst and thus
perforate, causing the spilling of infectious waste material within the abdominal cavity
leading to further complications. There have been cases where untreated Appendicitis has
caused the disease, peritonitis in humans, resulting in the inflammation of the lining of the
abdominal cavity or the peritoneum, often leading to fatal repercussions.
Seldom, a pus filled abscess (a kind of infection that can be walled off from the rest of the
body) forms outside the surface of the inflamed appendix. The scarred and infected tissue
can therefore wall off from the appendix and the rest of the abdominal cavity as well,
causing the prevention of the infection from spreading to the rest of the abdominal region.
There are no other means of identifying an abscessed appendix without surgery. This is one
of the major reasons why all the cases of appendicitis are often termed as urgent surgeries,
requiring instant medical attention and care.
Appendicitis can affect people from all age groups. People between the age of 10 to 30 are
the ones which are more prone to suffering from this disease.
Causal Factors Of Appendicitis
Some of the major causes for the occurrence of Appendicitis is as follows:
Blockage: The blockage of the appendix by the formation of stool or by the lodging of any
foreign body or cancerous formation can be one of the major reasons for the causing of this
disease.
Infections: Infections are the second major reasons for the occurrence of appendicitis. Due
to inborn infection, the appendix can swell and therefore, as a response towards the
infection in the body, inflammation is often identified.

3. Symptoms Of Appendicitis
Though there are many known symptoms of the disease, some of the best known
symptoms for the diagnosis of the disease are as follows:
 Dull, yet piercing sharp pain in the navel region or the upper abdominal region. This
pain, changes to sharp, stabbing pain as they move to the lower area of the abdomen.
This is usually one of the beginning symptoms of the disease.
 General loss of appetite
 Frequent nausea and vomiting followed by abdominal pain
 Swelling around the abdominal area
 Constant mild fever
 Inability to pass off the gas
Though these are the major symptoms of the disease, these can be followed by other
symptoms as well:
 Dull or sharp pain around the abdominal area, rectum or the back side.
 Constant pain during urination
 Vomiting along with the abdominal pain
 Muscular cramps all over.
 Constipation as well as the inability of passing gas
Upon the occurrence of these symptoms, it is mandatory to seek constant medical attention
as they could be the beginning of the disease. Also, timely diagnosis of the disease is one
of the critical factors in order to treat appendicitis. It is recommended that the patients
should be preventing drinking or eating any antacids, laxatives as well as pain relieving

4. remedies before consulting their doctor. Also, the usage of the heat pads should be avoided
as they cause the untimely rupturing of the appendix, which can only make the matters
worse.
Diagnosis Of Appendicitis
As per the medical opinion of some of the best known doctors, the diagnosis of appendicitis
can prove out to be very tricky in some cases. There have been instances where the
symptoms of appendicitis have been very similar to some other gastrointestinal diseases,
such as gallbladder pain, urinary tract infection, Crohn’s disease, gastritis or even the
intestinal infection and ovary problems. This makes the diagnosis of the diseases very
difficult.
Some of the basic tests that are used by the doctors for the diagnosis of appendicitis
are as follows:
Abdominal exam: This is basic exam which is used in order to check the appendix for
signs of inflammation.
Urine Test: Since appendicitis has often been confused with Urinary Tract infection, this
test is basically used to remove that element of doubt from the diagnostic procedure.
Rectal Exam
Blood Test: Blood Test is done as a routine test in order to check the immune system of
the body and to ensure that the body is fighting against infection.
CT Scans and Ultrasound is the ones that are used to definitely check the appendix for
signs of infection and inflammation.
Treatment Of Appendicitis
Appendectomy is one of the best ways for the treatment of appendicitis. It is basically a
surgery that is used to remove the appendix and is known as a worldwide standard
treatment for appendicitis.
Even in some of the cases where appendicitis has been even suspected, the doctors prefer
to remove the appendix quickly in order to prevent the rupture of the tissue within the body.

5. In some of the cases, where the appendix has formed an abscess, two major procedures
are used:
 Draining of the abscess in order to remove the pus and the fluid.
 Permanent removal of appendix
Appendectomy: What Are You in For?
Usually before the surgery, the patients are administered with antibiotics. This helps to
prevent peritonitis in the body. After the administration ofanaesthesia, usually a 4 inch
incision is given to the patient via laparoscopy in order to remove the appendix from the
body. In case a patient develops a case of peritonitis, then the abdomen needs to be
irrigated in order to drain out the accumulated pus.
Patients are often able to walk 12 hours after the surgery. Within two to three weeks, a
patient is able to continue with his usual routine. For laparoscopic surgery, the incision is
smaller as well as the recovery is faster.
Some of the after effects of surgery may consist of the following:
 Nausea / vomiting
 Pain in the abdominal cavity.
 Dizziness / fainting spells.
 Blood during vomiting / urination.
 Fever.
 Pus formation in the wound