Appendicitis what is it


appendix

Appendicitis is a painful inflammation of the appendix, and it is something that needs medical attention because it can be a serious problem if left untreated for any length of time. In the following article we will briefly examine what appendicitis is in a bit more detail and talk about what to do if you have appendicitis attack symptoms.

The appendix has quite a few different names including; vermix, cecal appendix, and vermiform appendix. These all mean the same thing and these other words are only really useful for medical professionals and human biologists. The appendix is normally around 10cm in length and it stays in the lower right hand side of the abdomen. When you have appendicitis symptoms the pain can be felt around the belly button and other parts of the abdomen. The area around the appendix will be very sore to the touch. Even though we are born with an appendix nobody really knows why it is there, and when it is removed the body shows no signs of missing it.

Appendicitis symptoms occur when this appendage becomes inflamed. There is a tube (called an appendix lumen) that can become blocked, and it is this that is believed to be the cause of the appendix attack symptoms. This blockage causes the appendage to become filled with pus and fluids and this leads to increasing pressure inside. This pressure begins to build and pus can begin to leak out from the appendix. At the same time the appendage is dying and will turn necrotic.

The biggest danger with appendicitis symptoms is that the pressure inside dying appendage becomes so much that it bursts. This is really bad news for the body because it can cause septicaemia (often called sepsis) because all that pus will contain bacteria. When this sepsis occurs it means that the body begins to try and defend itself by initiating the inflammatory response. In the case of sepsis thought the response is so extreme that it can kill the body.

It is because of this risk of sepsis that you must immediately get treatment for appendix attack symptoms; your life could depend on it. The treatment for the condition involves removing the appendix, and once you have it removed you won’t even know that it’s gone.

So this was just a brief look at appendicitis and what it is. Hopefully you will now have a better idea about what to do if you ever get appendicitis symptoms.

In the United States alone it is believed that 7% of the population will suffer from appendicitis in their life. So what exactly is appendicitis and what does it happen.

The appendix is situated in the lower right hand side of your body in an area that medical professionals call the right iliac fossa. Medical professionals will often refer to the appendix with another name such as; cecal appendage or vermix – but these all mean the same thing. The appendix tends to be around 10 cm in size, but it can be smaller or bigger than this. When the appendix is removed from people’s bodies there is no difference noticed in how the body functions so scientists have been unable to find any real purpose for this appendage.

When we have appendicitis symptoms we will most often have sharp constant pain around the belly button area and other parts of the abdomen. The area around the right iliac fossa will be tender to touch. Other appendix attack symptoms might include nausea and vomiting, low-grade fever, swollen abdomen, diarrhea, frequent urination, and loss of appetite.

The reason why we get these appendicitis symptoms is that there is something going wrong with our appendix. Usually what has happened is that a tube (called the appendix lumen) in the appendage has become blocked and this is causing fluids and pus to build up inside.  As the pressure builds the appendix begins to die and turn necrotic. The pus in the appendage contains bacteria, and as it leaks out it causes peritonitis. If the pressure inside the appendage becomes too much it can burst and this is the most dangerous possibility with appendix attack symptoms because it could kill us.

The reason why a burst appendix is so serious is that it allows all the bacteria containing pus to enter the rest of the abdomen. The body is under attack so it launches the inflammatory response, but because of the amount of pus this response is extreme and can cause sepsis. This sepsis is life threatening and means that the inflammatory response is so severe that it can destroy the body.

Anyone suffering with appendicitis symptoms should be treated as soon as possible because of the risk of a burst appendix and subsequent sepsis. Removing the appendage is straightforward and the appendix won’t be missed, but delaying action could easily prove fatal. If you have appendix attack symptoms then go the hospital straight away.

You will more than likely already heard the word ‘appendicitis’ previously – almost one in ten people will develop this problem at some point in their life. Even though you have heard the word you may still be unsure about what it is. In the following article we will look at what causes appendicitis symptoms, but first we will need to talk about the appendix where most of the action takes place.

The appendix (sometimes called the vermix, vermiform or cecal appendage) is about 10 cm long and it stays in the lower right hand side of your abdomen in an area referred to as the right iliac fossa. The word appendix suggests something added on, and this could easily describe this appendage; other than taking up space it doesn’t do anything as far as the experts can tell. When it is removed the body doesn’t seem to miss it at all. Its only contribution to the body seems to be the role it plays in appendix attack symptoms.

Problems with the appendix are the reason for appendicitis symptoms. What happens most often is that a tube called the appendix lumen becomes obstructed and this causes pressure to build inside the appendix because of trapped fluid. The appendix is starved of its blood supply so it begins to die and this causes bacteria filled pus to accumulate. Some of this fluid can leak out and cause peritonitis which is an infection of the abdomen. If the pressure become too much there is a danger that the appendage might burst and this can lead to the most serious of all appendicitis attack symptoms – i.e. death. As well as a blocked lumen appendicitis can also be caused by trauma or even intestinal worms.

As you can see from reading the above appendicitis symptoms can indicate something serious is about to happen. If you have the symptoms you should go to hospital immediately. The most frequent symptoms are; abdominal pain, tenderness around the right iliac fossa, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, swollen abdomen, and a low grade fever. If there is any chance that you could be having appendix attack symptoms then you must get help straight away; delaying could prove fatal. Removing the appendix is fairly straight forward and once it is gone you should not notice any difference to your life. Appendectomies are probably one of the most common surgical procedures.

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