Appendicitis: Causes, Risk Factors, Symptoms & Treatment Process

An appendix is a tube-like tissue extending from your large intestine to the lower right side of your body. Medical researchers are not sure about its functions. Inflammation in your appendix can cause appendicitis, which is a medical emergency. It requires you to undergo surgery and remove the appendix from your body. However, you can live a healthy life even without it.

Are you suffering from appendicitis? Then, this article will help you learn all about it!

What Are the Main Causes of Appendicitis?

The inflammation of the appendix often acts as one of the leading causes of appendicitis. It can happen because of blockage. Your appendix is located in the lower abdomen, and it can be blocked for various reasons, including the following.

A buildup of hardened stool
Intestinal worms
Enlarged lymphoid follicles
Abdominal injury
Tumours
Cancer

The following two types of appendicitis are commonly noted.

Acute appendicitis: It is a severe case of appendicitis causing intense abdominal pain, which grows rapidly within 24 hours. More common among men than women, acute appendicitis should be treated immediately, as it can develop more fatal complications if left untreated.
Chronic appendicitis: It is not as common as acute appendicitis. The symptoms are comparatively milder, disappearing and reappearing constantly. This makes it challenging for the physicians to diagnose it.

Moreover, if you are suffering from a severe infection, your appendix might swell in response to it. Once you develop appendicitis, the bacteria multiply rapidly, inflaming your appendix. It swells up and fills with pus. Once this happens, you might face severe pain in your appendix. It is essential to consult the doctor immediately and treat the condition.

What Are the Symptoms of Appendicitis?

Some of the usual symptoms of appendicitis are as follows.

Pain in the lower abdomen area
Sudden pain generating from the navel down to the abdomen
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Constipation or diarrhoea
Abdominal bloating
Mild fever
Swelling in the belly

Apart from that, you might see some of the following signs of appendicitis rarely seen in acute cases.

Difficulty urinating
Vomiting before or during abdominal pain
Severe stomach cramps
Constipation or diarrhoea with gas

What Are the Risk Factors and Complications of Appendicitis?

Appendicitis is one of the most common conditions across the globe. While anybody can get this disease anytime, appendicitis is rare in children below two years. Most cases are seen in individuals between 10 and 30 years. Some of the common complications and risk factors of appendicitis are discussed in the following points.

Ruptured appendix: The complications of this condition increase with a ruptured appendix. In this case, a rupture spreads infection throughout your abdomen, requiring instant surgery.
Peritonitis: When your appendix bursts, your abdominal cavity fills with bacteria. The lining of your abdominal cavity gets infected and inflamed. It can cause high fever, shortness of breath and severe abdominal pain.
Abscess: When your appendix bursts inside your abdomen, it creates an infection (abscess). It results in a painful pocket of pus around the area. A surgeon will drain the abscess by placing a tube through your abdominal wall.
Sepsis: A ruptured abscess might travel through your bloodstream to the other body parts. Although rare, sepsis is a severe condition. It can cause fever, confusion, drowsiness and shortness of breath.

How to Diagnose Appendicitis?

Now that you have a fair idea about what an appendix is and how it causes appendicitis, you must be curious to know how to diagnose it. The process of diagnosing appendicitis can be a tricky one. Once you visit the doctor after observing the symptoms, they might ask you to undergo the following procedures.

Blood tests: Doctors often suggest complete blood count (CBC). For this, a professional will draw blood from your veins and send the samples to a lab for testing. It helps to determine the bacterial infections that might accompany appendicitis. Moreover, you might also have to take a C-reactive protein test to check if other causes might be responsible for your appendix inflammation.
Urine test: Doctors might ask you to do a urinalysis. It is done to check the possibility of a kidney stone or urinary tract infection causing your symptoms. They will send your urine samples to the lab for testing.
Abdominal imaging tests: Doctors are most likely to order imaging tests of your abdomen to check the inflammation of your appendix. For this, they order tests like ultrasound, X-ray, CT scan, or MRI scan of the stomach. These help doctors determine the chances of abscess, faecal impaction, or inflammatory bowel disease. You might have to fast before taking these tests.
Chest imaging tests: Often, pneumonia in your lower lungs might cause symptoms similar to that of appendicitis. Doctors might ask for a chest X-ray to rule out this possibility. A CT scan can give them a clear idea about the conditions of your lungs.
Pregnancy test: There have been previous instances where ectopic pregnancy was mistaken for appendicitis. It happens if a fertilised egg implants itself in a fallopian tube instead of the uterus. The doctors might ask you to take either a urine or blood pregnancy to rule out this chance.

What Are the Treatment Options for Appendicitis?

Now that you know what appendicitis is, you must be wondering about its treatment. The usual treatments for appendicitis mainly include antibiotics followed by surgery to remove your appendix. Initially, they might give you pain relievers and use a needle for draining your abscess. Moreover, they can also suggest a specific liquid diet for controlling your symptoms.

Appendectomy

This is the primary surgery for treating appendicitis. Before the surgery, doctors will give you antibiotics for fighting the infections in your system. During the procedure, you will have to take anaesthetics. Then, the doctors will remove your appendix using a laparoscope. If you are suffering from peritonitis, doctors will have to clean your belly and drain the pus before removing it.

The surgery is simple, and you can get back to your regular routine within 2-3 weeks. However, you might face some issues such as vomiting, belly pain, dizziness and fever after the surgery. Consult with your doctor and take measures to handle these issues.

Home Remedies

If you have to undergo an appendectomy, doctors will suggest antibiotics and pain relievers for supporting the treatment. Apart from this, you will need to comply with other requirements, such as the following.

Get bed rest
Take regular walks
Drink plenty of fluids
Avoid strenuous activities

In some cases, your doctor might suggest you alter your diet. Particularly, if you face vomiting and nausea after the surgery, you will be asked to include plain rice and bread instead of spicy food in your diet. Moreover, you can consist of fibre supplements if you are constipated.

How to Prevent Appendicitis?

Now that you know the causes of appendix pain and its consequent issues, preventing it is probably running through your mind. The ways to prevent appendicitis are not yet clear to medical researchers. However, you can lower your chances of developing it. The best way to do it is by including a fibre-rich diet. You can have the following food items in your diet.

Fruits
Vegetables
Lentils
Beans and legumes
Oatmeal
Brown rice
Whole wheat

Thus, once you know how to prevent appendicitis, you can practice the same with your changed diet and fibre supplements. Usually, laparoscopic surgery is simple, and the doctors will discharge you quickly. However, follow-up care is essential for recovering from appendicitis.

Appendicitis is a severe condition, and it demands immediate treatment. However, the surgery is not complicated, and you can live a safe and healthy life even after removing your appendix. It is advisable to follow the doctors' suggestions during and after the surgery for faster recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How long can you have the symptoms of appendicitis before it bursts?

Symptoms of appendicitis mostly last from 36 - 72 hours before bursting and causing an appendix rupture. However, it would help if you observed early symptoms like stomach pain, loss of appetite and nausea.

Which foods can trigger appendicitis?

According to past cases and research, seeds of fruits and vegetables, including orange, melon, barley, grapes, date, cumin and nuts, might trigger appendicitis.