What are the symptoms of appendicitis in adults

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What are the symptoms of appendicitis in adults
What are the symptoms of appendicitis in adults
Anonim

Probably, there are no people who, at least by hearsay, did not know what it is and how appendicitis hurts. The symptoms of this disease are described both by the media and by everyone who has experienced the removal of the appendix. And, unfortunately, there are more and more of them. By the way, appendicitis is a relatively young disease, it was not so common before.

Therefore, this article will be devoted to a detailed description of the signs of the named pathology and methods for its determination.

symptoms of appendicitis in adults
symptoms of appendicitis in adults

What does the appendix look like and what is it for

Before talking about what appendicitis is, symptoms, how to determine its presence, let's deal with the "culprit" of this disease, which gives us so much trouble in an inflamed state.

Appendix in medicine is called a hollow tube 8-15 cm long and about 1 cm thick, closed on one side. It leads nowhere and departs from the beginning of the large intestine (this place is called the caecum).

Until the beginning of the last century, it was believed that the named process is absolutely useless. In the 1930s, the practice of prophylactic removal of the appendix in babies was even introduced. But, as it turned out, the children after that, both in physical and mental development, noticeably lagged behind their peers. The fact is that, as the researchers found out, the “rudiment” is actually a receptacle for a large number of bacteria that support he althy microflora in the body, their “home”, where they develop.

The appendix is covered, as well as the caecum, by the peritoneum, and its inner layer secretes mucus, under which there is lymphoid tissue. It is with her that the very troubles most often occur that make a person go to an ambulance.

How inflammation of the appendix occurs

The vermiform appendix is, as it were, on the border between the “clean” and “dirty” zones of the human body, protecting the former from pathogenic microbes in the same way as, for example, adenoids in the nasopharynx or tonsils in the larynx do. The appendix is trying to protect the microbes that are trying to get into the small intestine (where food is digested) from the large intestine (where the waste products of digestion go). By the way, surgeons compare inflammation of the appendix with a sore throat, but only in the abdominal cavity.

what are the symptoms of appendicitis in adults
what are the symptoms of appendicitis in adults

But the appendix has one feature - it can become inflamed only once. And the reason for this is the blood circulation in the process. It is provided by an artery of the so-called terminal type, and even a small inflammation in it leads to the formation of blood clots. They clog the lumen of the artery, and as a result, the blood supply to the appendix stops.

The appendix begins to rapidly die - its walls become thin, fistulas form in them, and the accumulated pus penetrates through them into the abdominal cavity. And these symptoms of appendicitis in adults and children require urgent surgery to remove the process, otherwise the patient is in danger of death.

Why does the appendix get inflamed

Medics still cannot establish what exactly provokes appendicitis in humans. Symptoms of the disease may also appear due to a decrease in immunity, and due to helminths or foreign bodies and food debris that have penetrated from the intestines. Although not all and not always these phenomena cause inflammation in the appendix.

In medicine, it is believed that the most at risk of being under the surgeon's knife are people in whose body there is a chronic focus of inflammation - these can be adenoids, tonsillitis, caries, etc. Researchers believe that the appendix in such cases is trying to connect to the body's fight against a chronic infection and takes part of the blow on itself, which leads to sad consequences.

appendicitis symptoms in humans
appendicitis symptoms in humans

What are the most common symptoms of appendicitis in adults

As a rule, inflammation of the appendix develops in a patient according to two scenarios - this is classic and atypical appendicitis.

  1. Classic begins with painful sensations at the top of the abdomen (in the epigastrium), which slowly descend down to its right side. A person has a pulling pain in his leg, he may even begin to limp. Coughing, walking or jolting in transport makes the pain worse. If such a patient is placed on his back, he will not be able to straighten and raise his right leg. And the muscles of the anterior wall of the abdomen will be tense.
  2. Atypical appendicitis often masquerades as food poisoning, with severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Doctors advise in the presence of these signs not to rely on their understanding of the situation, but be sure to call a doctor to make sure there is no appendicitis.

What do the symptoms of appendicitis look like with its atypical localization

By the way, it should be remembered that for many people the appendix is not in its bed. Then the signs of the inflammatory process may look different.

  1. So, if the process is high, then the symptoms of appendicitis in adults and children appear as pain almost under the ribs on the right.
  2. If it is “walled up” retrocecally, that is, behind the caecum, then the pain can be diffused throughout the abdomen, give to the lower back, right thigh and even to the external genitalia.
  3. When the appendix is in the pelvic position, the patient feels pain above the pubis.

Nausea, and sometimes vomiting, is a fairly common manifestation of appendicitis, especially at the beginning of the inflammatory process, when the pain is mild and looks more like discomfort.

appendicitis symptoms how to determine
appendicitis symptoms how to determine

How not to miss a child's appendicitis

Children are just as susceptible to appendicitis as adults. It can threaten a child even at an early age. Moreover, due to the underdevelopment of the greater omentum and the hyperergic reaction of the body, in children the inflammatory process develops faster and, accordingly, peritonitis may occur more quickly.

It should be remembered that children's appendicitis manifests itself somewhat differently than in adults. And how not to miss a dangerous disease, and what are the symptoms of appendicitis in children, we will now consider.

  1. The first signs include pain. Babies in this case begin to act up, worry when trying to pick them up.
  2. Pain can occur above the navel, which means that the disease has just begun to develop. It will then move to the lower abdomen (right side), although there are exceptions to this rule.
  3. In children, appendicitis attacks are usually accompanied by refusal to eat, nausea, lethargy, and sometimes vomiting.
  4. The temperature can rise to subfebrile values, which indicates an inflammatory process in the child's body. In some cases, it may turn out to be high - up to 39 ° С.
  5. Sometimes, children with appendicitis can have difficulty emptying their bowels.

By the way, most often with appendicitis, the baby takes a forced position, turning on his right side and pulling his knees to his stomach.

what are the symptoms of appendicitis in children
what are the symptoms of appendicitis in children

How Appendicitis Manifests: Symptoms

At home, you can try to immediately understand whether the signs that alerted you are symptoms of appendicitis or not. To do this, gently feel the baby's stomach, watching his reaction.

With appendicitis in the iliac region on the right, you can find a seal, when pressed, the child will feel pain, wait a bit until the pain subsides, and remove your fingers from this place. If the baby felt it again, he most likely has appendicitis. Call an ambulance immediately!

Complications of appendicitis

Appendicitis symptoms in adults, as well as in children, can sometimes mislead doctors, which means precious time will be lost. In this case, the patient faces the most common complication of the disease - perforation.

symptoms of chronic appendicitis in women
symptoms of chronic appendicitis in women

Through the gaps formed, the pus in the process will flow out and infect the entire abdominal cavity. Urgent surgery in these cases will save the patient's life, but the operation can be difficult, and the postoperative period will require additional treatment.

A more rare complication is intestinal obstruction, which occurs when inflammation causes disturbances in the functioning of its muscles and, accordingly, does not allow food to move forward. In such cases, that part of the intestine, which is located above the obstruction, is filled with gas and liquid, and the stomach swells. The person feels nauseous and vomits.

A very dangerous complication is sepsis - blood poisoning when bacteria enter the blood vessels, through which they are carried to other organs. This condition is life threatening, but fortunately it does not happen very often.

What is chronic appendicitis

If acute appendicitis was not operated on in time and did not lead to peritonitis, it can become chronic. This phenomenon is quite rare (only 1% of cases).

how does appendicitis hurts symptoms
how does appendicitis hurts symptoms

At the same time, at the anatomical level, the appendix often changes its shape, thickening and losing contact with the intestine due to the fusion of the hole, and sometimes turning into a cyst. Pus or mucous contents can accumulate inside it, and adhesions often form outside, connecting the appendix with other organs of the abdominal cavity. All this is ready at any moment to lead to a new outbreak of the inflammatory process.

Sometimes appendicitis may not have an acute form in history, but immediately turn into a chronic one, becoming a focus of constant inflammation. Then it is defined as primary chronic, it is quite difficult to diagnose such a pathology. For example, the symptoms of chronic appendicitis in women can often be confused with the manifestation of gynecological problems or pregnancy complications. Often in cases of chronic form and complaints of other diseases. Therefore, when establishing a diagnosis, it is very important to differentiate the named disease from a stomach ulcer, nephrolithiasis, chronic cholecystitis or pyelitis.

What each of us should remember

As you have seen, appendicitis is a serious disease that always requires surgical intervention, since the focus of purulent inflammation in the body is fraught with death for the patient. Symptoms of appendicitis in adults and children - pain in the right side - should always be alarming, regardless of whether this sensation suddenly or gradually arose. Don't wait for the pain to go away, see a surgeon!

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