Appendicitis is a severe inflammatory process that affects the process of the cecum. This disease is one of the most common causes of surgical intervention in the abdominal cavity, without such treatment it can lead to extremely serious consequences. It is often enough that the inflammation of the appendix occurs in children. It is worth familiar with the main signs of appendicitis in children, which indicate that urgent need to call an ambulance.
- Causes
- How does appendicitis affect children?
- Diagnostics
- What happens if you do not cut out appendicitis?
- What happens if appendicitis bursts?
Symptoms and treatment of acute appendicitis Causes of appendicitis Signs of appendicitis in men: symptoms and treatment Symptoms and treatment of chronic appendicitis in women Signs and symptoms of appendicitis in women
In general, children peak in the incidence of appendicitis in 9 to 12 years, but it is worth remembering that the inflammatory process can still develop at almost any age. At the moment, specialists find it difficult to determine the exact factors why the process of the cecum is inflamed at a certain point.
Appendicitis is an extremely common problem that can lead to severe complications without timely intervention. The only way to completely stop an attack of an acute disease is a complete removal of the appendix. It is carried out in almost all cases of the emergence of this pathology.
Studies show that removing the process of the cecum does not lead to any problems in the future, so an operation performed correctly does not lead to any health consequences. Removal is not carried out only if the inflammatory process is not sufficiently extensive, there is a high probability that the symptomatology is caused by another disease.
In any case, when signs of appendicitis appear, you must call an ambulance, especially in a child. In addition to the inflammation of the appendix, there are a number of other diseases of the peritoneal organs with similar symptoms, some of them can be no less dangerous than this pathology.
Important!Without a full-fledged diagnosis, it is extremely difficult to correctly diagnose external signs, in many cases the diagnosis is made only after the operation.
Causes
Today, most specialists find it difficult to identify the obvious reasons for the development of the inflammatory process. It is difficult to track the main factors that can provoke appendicitis. Nevertheless, the most common possible causes include mechanical damage.
Appendicitis can develop as a result of foreign body entry into the process of the cecum, due to poor permeability of food to the intestines during digestion. Many people with an inflammation of the appendix show various problems in the work of the intestines and the digestive system as a whole. One of the reasons that many specialists call is constipation.
Thus, the risk of appendicitis increases in people who eat improperly, do not treat various diseases of the digestive system. This is especially important for children, improper nutrition in the child can lead to many serious consequences for the body.
In addition to the mechanical theory, there is also an infectious one, however, in most cases any pathogenic microflora is not detected when the appendix is damaged. Also, many people whose parents have suffered this disease also develop appendicitis. Perhaps this is due to the peculiarities of the structure of the digestive system.
In any case, the exact cause of the onset of the inflammatory process is not so important. With appendicitis, the most important thing is to timely stop the attack surgically. After the operation, additional therapy may be prescribed, if other pathologies are found against the background of this disease.
How does appendicitis affect children?
How does appendicitis develop in children? It should be noted that there are usually not very many differences with adult symptoms. The main difficulty in all cases is the inability to immediately distinguish the inflammation of the appendix from other diseases of the digestive system, simple food poisoning.
The first symptoms of developing appendicitis include the following symptoms. Usually they appear quite suddenly and begin to develop rapidly:
- Abdominal pain. Which side hurts the appendix? Usually the pain begins to develop from the area of the solar plexus, then descends below, to the navel, spreads to the lower abdomen on the right. Sometimes pain can be given to the left.
- Nausea, vomiting, other symptoms of intoxication. Nausea is always present in this disease, in children, vomiting also appears in almost all cases. In vomiting, bile is usually present.
- Diarrhea or constipation. The second variant is more common, thus there is an increased allocation of urine. It acquires a darker, unhealthy shade.
- Temperature, chills, cold sweat. Children are present in almost all cases, usually rises to 38 - 39 degrees Celsius.
Important!The sudden disappearance of all pain and the temperature drop may indicate a rupture of the process, this is an extremely disturbing symptom.
The peculiarities of appendicitis in children include the inability to determine the exact source of pain in a number of cases. For this, there is an additional diagnostic test: the child should be asked to bend the right leg in the knee, try to pull it up. If this action can not be carried out because of pain, there is a high probability that it is an inflammation of the appendix.
Diagnostics
Often, there is no time for full diagnosis, so in most cases the condition of the appendix of the cecum is recognized already in the process of surgical intervention. However, if the condition is not critical, several tests are performed. First take a blood test, check the level of leukocytes. Their increased number indicates a possible appendicitis.
Can I see appendicitis on ultrasound? If possible, such a study is mandatory. On ultrasound, the condition of the cecum is always visible, it helps to correctly diagnose. Also, at times, an x-ray study is shown.
What happens if you do not cut out appendicitis?
Inflamed appendix should be deleted. This condition can not be cured completely in other ways. Without removal, this disease can lead to severe consequences for the body, up to a lethal outcome.
This disease usually begins to develop from the catarrhal form, when only the mucous membrane of the organ is affected. With the progression of the disease, it becomes phlegmonous when all layers are affected. At the final stage appendicitis becomes gangrenous, necrosis of the organ begins, there is a probability of organ rupture, perforation.
What happens if appendicitis bursts?
If there is a rupture of this organ, the development of peritonitis, an extensive inflammatory process in the abdominal cavity, will begin. Necrosis can lead to destruction of the intestine, serious violations of the functioning of the digestive system and abdominal organs as a whole.
Also, the probability of infection into the bloodstream increases. The infection in the blood can provoke even more serious disorders. Extensive damage can provoke a fatal outcome.
Therefore, appendicitis, especially in children, usually try to immediately stop surgically. The operation does not take much time, it is well tolerated. After surgery, usually requires rest for several days, sometimes showing the use of antibacterial drugs that help to remove traces of infection.
In addition, an important diet after appendicitis. During the first few days, the diet should be as light as possible. Fat products, food with a heavy, coarse structure, products that promote increased gas production are completely excluded. Proper nutrition is the key to a successful recovery of the digestive tract after the appendicitis is transferred.
In general, the timely docked inflammatory process does not lead to serious problems in the future. The vast majority of children who have had an inflammation of the appendix do not experience any discomfort at an older age.
