Symptoms and treatment of acute appendicitis

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common pathologies of the abdominal cavity, in which surgical intervention is required. The acute form is most common, it is characterized by rapid development, a sharp attack of the disease. It is worth knowing what symptoms can manifest acute appendicitis, what complications this disease can lead to without timely medical intervention, as is usually treated with appendicitis.

• Etiology and pathogenesis
• How to identify acute appendicitis?
• Features of acute appendicitis in children
• Diagnostic Methods
• Complications
• First aid
• Surgery
• Prevention

Code for ICD-10 in this disease K35 - K37, depending on the form of the disease. Appendicitis, an inflammation of the vermiform appendage of the cecum, can proceed in various forms depending on which layers of the organ have been affected, there is or is no necrosis, perforation.

Most often, appendicitis occurs in childhood 9 to 12 years, in adults between 20 and 40 years. Among the children, most of the cases are male, among adults - female. It is quite difficult to explain such a regularity, as well as to reveal the reasons for the development of appendicitis as a whole.

In acute appendicitis, there is a separate classification, usually the following forms of the disease are distinguished depending on the extent of the lesion in this disease:

1. Acute catarrhal appendicitis. In this case, only the mucous membrane of the organ is affected, the rest of the tissues are not affected yet. In most cases, the disease goes to a more serious stage, if the treatment does not begin in time.
2. Acute phlegmatic appendicitis. At this stage of the disease all layers of organ tissues are affected, ulcers and erosions begin to appear on the mucosa of the process of the cecum.
3. Acute gangrenous or acute gangrenous-perforated appendicitis. At this stage, the organ begins to completely collapse, there are perforations, there may be a rupture of the appendix. At this stage, necrosis of the caecum can begin to develop, other serious complications arise.

Important!With regard to external symptoms, it is almost impossible to determine the stage of the development of the disease, it is often found out already in the process of surgical intervention with the removal of the appendix.

Etiology and pathogenesis

The causes of acute appendicitis in most cases are difficult to determine. There are several theories why an inflammatory process occurs in the process of the blind intestine. The main is considered mechanical, that the inflammation develops as a result of foreign body entry, blockage of the intestinal lumen, with various injuries.

According to the mechanical theory, a high probability of appendicitis is present in people who eat improperly, suffer from constipation, with a weakened bowel function. A fairly large proportion of patients with appendicitis eventually found stool stones and other serious disorders of the intestine.

There is also an infectious theory, according to which various infectious systemic lesions can provoke the inflammatory process in the process. Also, some experts note that vascular disease and a number of neurological disorders contribute to the development of appendicitis.

Appendicitis can develop without apparent obvious causes. In any case it is proved that the removal of the inflamed process does not lead to any dangerous consequences for the body, after its removal the symptoms disappear, and appendicitis does not arise again.

How to identify acute appendicitis?

The main difficulty is usually that the symptoms of appendicitis sometimes resemble the usual food poisoning, some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In most cases, the diagnosis is made after surgery, because with acute inflammation of the time to find out what condition the process is in fact, no.

To think about the possible development of appendicitis is if the following symptoms occur:

1. Abdominal pain. Which side of the appendicitis it hurts? Usually the pain begins to spread from the solar plexus to the navel area, in most cases localized in the right side from below. However, do not forget that the pain can irradiate, give to the left. In severe stages, painful sensations can take a girdling character.
2. Nausea. Occurs as a response to pain, often accompanied by vomiting. In vomiting is usually present eaten on the eve of food, a small amount of bile. If the bile disappears, this is a bad sign, indicating a violation of the pancreas.
3. Diarrhea or constipation. Stool disorders always occur with appendicitis, because of the nature of the flow, constipation usually appears. The appearance of blood in the feces can speak of internal bleeding. In addition to disorders of the stool, the amount of urine usually increases, it acquires a darker shade.
4. Temperature, chills, other symptoms of intoxication. Normal for appendicitis is a temperature of 38 - 39 degrees, a cold sweat can act. If the temperature becomes higher or vice versa, it rapidly decreases below 36.6, this is an extremely poor indicator.

These are the main symptoms that indicate appendicitis. With the course of the disease, they can intensify. When diagnosing a disease, it is extremely important to exclude diseases of the pelvic organs, reproductive system, gastrointestinal tract. In some cases, appendicitis can be combined with other diseases of the digestive system, but in most cases it develops on its own.

Acute appendicitis in pregnant women may have its own characteristics. When it is diagnosed, it is important to exclude various pathologies of fetal development, assistance to a pregnant woman is required to be given immediately, since severe inflammation, its larger scale, can lead to the loss of the child.

Features of acute appendicitis in children

Special differences in the course of the disease in children usually do not occur, but it should be noted that children, especially small children, can not always determine and describe the nature of the painful feelings that disturb them.

For this, a simple diagnostic test is offered. It is necessary to ask the child to bend the right leg in a knee, to try to tighten it to a stomach. With appendicitis, this movement is usually extremely difficult, trying to bend and hold your leg causing severe pain. Children with appendicitis basically try to move less, not to get up.

Important!If all the pain sensations abruptly disappear, this may indicate a rupture of the appendix, you need to see a doctor immediately. This disease never passes by itself.

Diagnostic Methods

Usually, the analysis of complaints is not enough to establish a correct diagnosis, if possible, the patient is taken for blood analysis, ultrasound and X-ray examination. However, the time for such studies is not always, the acute form requires urgent intervention, so sometimes the diagnosis is made after a surgical operation.

If the symptoms are poorly expressed, differential diagnosis is important. Using ultrasound and other techniques to exclude other diseases of the digestive tract, excretory, reproductive system.

Complications

Acute appendicitis without timely treatment usually leads to extremely serious consequences for the body. One of the most common complications is peritonitis, the inflammatory process in the abdominal cavity. Various perforations and necrosis, which occur in the late stages of inflammation of the appendix, can lead to infection of the blood.

Treatment of complications can be carried out in different ways. It all depends on their nature, often the effects of appendicitis are also removed during surgery. In some cases, after surgery, taking antibiotics and adherence to a special diet.

First aid

First of all, when signs of acute appendicitis appear, it is important to immediately call an ambulance, do not pull, otherwise complications will develop. Emergency care at home should be done with caution, the following rules should be adhered to:

1. You can not use heat against the pain syndrome. Warmers with hot water and other warming devices are prohibited, only cold compresses can be used.
2. The patient should not give any drugs. Do not take painkillers, laxatives, antiemetics. Any medicines should be avoided.
3. When appendicitis should be followed by bed rest, you need to minimize the mobility. You can not eat, you can only drink pure ordinary water in small quantities.

All other manipulations can be carried out exclusively by specialists. You can not massage the stomach, apply any local remedies. In case of acute appendicitis, only a qualified specialist can help.

Surgery

Appendicitis is usually treated surgically. The inflamed process is completely removed, removal of the appendix can be called one of the most common surgical interventions. Complications after a similar operation are extremely rare, removing the appendix does not affect the health and quality of life.

Postoperative complications are extremely rare, they can be attributed to various infections with a careless approach. Statistics show that less than a percent of all such operations end badly. To completely avoid any problems, you need to fully comply with the recommendations of the attending physician, you need bed rest.

After the operation, antibiotics and a diet are also prescribed. Proper nutrition after appendicitis excludes fatty heavy food, sweet, at first recommend avoiding rough food. The entire recovery period can take from a couple of weeks to several months.

Prevention

It is extremely difficult to completely protect yourself from the acute form of the disease, since they do not give out the exact causes provoking the inflammatory process. The only method of prevention can be called proper nutrition, a healthy diet. The diet should consistently contain dairy products, food with a high content of coarse fibers, they improve digestion and help normalize the work of the intestines.

Also it is necessary to drink enough liquid, it is desirable usual pure water. Most people with acute inflammation of the appendix have constipation and other abnormalities in the intestine, so maintaining the digestive tract in its normal state is the best prevention of inflammation of the appendix.