Appendicitis

Appendicitis can be mainly explained as the inflammation of the appendix that can cause pain and occasionally vomiting and diarrhoea. Patients with appendicitis often present with pain in the right lower abdomen. While mild cases may resolve without treatment, many require laparotomy with removal of the inflamed appendix. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly due to peritonitis and shock when the inflamed appendix ruptures.Appendicitis is the most common acute surgical condition of the abdomen. 1 Approximately 7 percent of the population will have appendicitis in their lifetime, 2 with the peak incidence occurring between the ages of 10 and 30 years. The appendix is a narrow tubular pouch that is attached to the intestines. When the appendix is blocked.

About 8 out of 100 people will get appendicitis at some time in their lives. Appendicitis is a common condition that affects 6% of the population sometime during their lifetimes. Although it most commonly occurs among those between the ages of 10-30 years, it can occur at any age. The appendix looks like a hollow, fleshy stalk arising from the cecum near the ileocecal junction. Appendicitis is a medical emergency that requires prompt surgery to remove the appendix. Some pain around the umbilicus (perimbilical pain) may also be present in the early stages of the disease. Treatment is involves the removal of the appendix by a surgeon.

Causes of Appendicitis

Some causes are as follows

• Most causes of appendiceal inflammation, infection, and perforation begin with something obstructing the appendiceal lumen. Items such as stool, barium, food, and parasites can block the lumen.
• Appendicitis generally unknown, but the leading theory is that obstruction of the appendiceal orifice is the inciting factor.
• Populations with high fiber diets have a low incidence of appendicitis and diverticulitis leading some to conclude diet induced constipation is a contributing cause
• Blunt abdominal trauma has been identified as a cause for appendicitis.

Symptoms of Appendicitis

Most commonly symptoms are :

• The main symptom of appendicitis is belly (abdominal) pain.
• The symptoms of appendicitis may take 4-48 hours to develop. During this time, someone developing this condition may have varying degrees of loss of appetite, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
• Children and the elderly often have fewer symptoms, which makes their diagnosis less obvious.
• The pain can feel like indigestion or like you need to have a bowel movement or pass gas.

Treatment of Appendicitis

Some treatment methods of Appendicitis are :

• Appendicitis can be treated by removal of the appendix through a surgical procedure called an appendicectomy (also known as an appendectomy ). Traditionally, appendectomy has involved an open laparotomy incision.
• Antibiotics are often given intravenously to help kill remaining bacteria and thus reduce the incidence of infectious complication in the abdomen or wound.
• Antibiotics are given before an appendectomy to fight possible peritonitis. General anesthesia is usually given, and the appendix is removed through a 4-inch incision or by laparoscopy. If you have peritonitis, the abdomen is also irrigated and drained of pus.
• Within 12 hours of surgery you may get up and move around. You can usually return to normal activities in 2 to 3 weeks. If surgery is done with a laparoscope (a thin telescope-like instrument for viewing inside the abdomen), the incision is smaller and recovery is faster.

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