Appendicitis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Appendicitis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Author: Scott Gillespie
Date Created: Oct 25, 2008 - 11:49:24 AM

Appendicitis is an infection of a small section of the bowel called the appendix. It is a pouch at the junction of the small and large intestines. The size of the small finger, it is lined with a mucous membrane that produces a clear secretion. This organ has no known function. One theory, though, is that it plays a role in the immune system very early in life

What causes appendicitis?

It is not clear why people get appendicitis. Infection in the appendix causes appendicitis. But doctors and scientists are not sure what causes the infection. In many cases, a small object (such as a hard piece of stool) blocks the opening to the appendix. Then bacteria can grow in the appendix and cause an infection.

Blockage may also occur if lymph nodes in the appendix swell. Less common causes of blockage are vegetable and fruit seeds, stomach worms, and thickened barium from prior X-rays.

What Are the Symptoms of Appendicitis?

Dull pain near the navel or the upper abdomen that becomes sharp as it moves to the lower right abdomen. This is usually the first sign.

Nausea and/or vomiting soon after abdominal pain begins

Appendicitis symptoms can also affect a person's bowel habits. Appendicitis can cause a person to have excessive diarrhea, constipation and an inability to pass gas.

Children and the elderly often have fewer symptoms, which makes their diagnosis less obvious and the incidence of complications more frequent.

It is not necessary for all the people with appendix problems to gather all these symptoms. There are fluctuations of pain, which gains and loses intensity in case of sudden movements, when the patient takes deep breaths, coughs or sneezes. With appendicitis, the abdomen presents an increased sensitivity and the person can present a “tenesmus”, which represents the sensation of intestinal movement that can banish the unpleasant feeling of “downward urge”; in these conditions, laxatives and painkillers are not appropriated.

Treatment for Appendicitis

Appendicitis Diet :

The patient should be put to bed immediately on encountering primary signs of severe pain, vomiting and fever. Resting is of utmost importance in the treatment of this disease. Controlling the urge to eat is the best remedy in such circumstances. It is therefore advisable for an appendicitis patient to resort to fasting, which is the only real cure for appendicitis. Absolutely no food should be given. Nothing except water should enter the system. Low enemas, containing about one pint (1/2litre) of warm water should be administered every day for the first three days to cleanse the lower bowel. Hot compresses may be placed over the painful area several times daily. Abdominal packs, made of a strip of wet sheet covered by a dry flannel cloth bound tightly around the abdomen, should be applied continuously until all acute symptoms subside.

For mild pain of appendicitis, best home remedy  for appendicitis includes taking about 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juices. One should then add 300 ml of carrot juice. Have this mixture twice a day daily

Acute appendicitis is treated by surgery to remove the appendix. The operation may be performed through a standard small incision in the right lower part of the abdomen, or it may be performed using a laparoscope, which requires three to four smaller incisions. If other conditions are suspected in addition to appendicitis, they may be identified using laparoscopy. In some patients, laparoscopy is preferable to open surgery because the incision is smaller, recovery time is quicker, and less pain medication is required.

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