Your appendix is a small, thin, wormlike sac. Appendicitis can happen at any age, but it occurs most often in children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and A study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found the risk of rupture was less than 2 percent when appendicitis was treated within 36 hours of the start of symptoms. It increased to 5 percent when it was treated 36 hours or more after the start of symptoms.
There are normally a lot of bacteria in your intestine. When the opening of the appendix gets blocked, bacteria get trapped inside and reproduce quickly, causing an infection. As this happens, pressure builds and the appendix swells. Eventually, it swells so much that the blood supply to part of the appendix gets cut off. That part of the wall then dies. A hole or tear develops in the dead wall.
The high pressure pushes the bacteria and pus into the abdominal cavity. So, a ruptured appendix usually oozes or leaks into the abdomen, rather than bursting like a balloon.
The symptoms of appendicitis can be similar to those of other conditions that affect the abdomen, such a stomach flu or ovarian cyst. For this reason, it can be hard to tell if you have appendicitis. If you have these symptoms and think you have appendicitis, get evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible.
Prompt treatment is essential to avoid rupture. Rupture can occur within 36 hours of the onset of symptoms. The classic symptoms of appendicitis are pain starting around the belly button followed by vomiting. Several hours later, the pain moves to the lower abdomen on the right side. One study found only about half of the people who get appendicitis have these classic symptoms. The pain is often spread out all over the abdomen in babies and children.
In pregnant and older people, the abdomen may be less tender and pain may be less severe. This is usually due to a blockage inside your appendix that causes it to swell up and get infected, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , here are the signs and symptoms of appendicitis to look out for:.
Ruptures or perforated appendixes happen in a minority of appendicitis cases, Diya Alaedeen, M. At that point, the appendix walls get holes in them that release things like stool and mucus.
Sarah Chima, M. Those include having diabetes, taking chronic pain medications or steroids, and waiting more than three days after your symptoms started to get help. With that in mind, the biggest thing you can do to prevent your appendix from bursting is getting professional help ASAP if you suspect you might have appendicitis.
On top of the symptoms above, the main red flag of a burst appendix is worsening pain that spreads to new areas. Open surgery, where a larger, single cut is made in the abdomen, is usually used if the appendix has burst or access is more difficult.
It usually takes a couple of weeks to make a full recovery after your appendix has been removed. But strenuous activities may need to be avoided for up to 6 weeks after having open surgery. It's not clear what causes appendicitis. In many cases it may be that something blocks the entrance of the appendix.
For example, it could become blocked by a small piece of poo, or an upper respiratory tract infection could cause the lymph node within the wall of the bowel to become swollen.
If the obstruction causes inflammation and swelling, it could lead to increased pressure within the appendix, which may then burst. As the causes of appendicitis are not fully understood, there's no guaranteed way of preventing it. Appendicitis is a common condition. Diagnosing appendicitis accurately and efficiently can reduce complications. However, with more than half of all people with appendicitis not presenting with typical symptoms, doctors can find it difficult to make a diagnosis.
To diagnose appendicitis, doctors will review the symptoms the individual is experiencing and their medical history to potentially rule out other health issues.
During the physical exam, the doctor may look for :. If necessary, the doctor may also order imaging tests, such as an abdominal ultrasound , MRI , or CT scan. Doctors may consider intravenous antibiotics as first-line therapy for some people. Antibiotic treatment may be sufficient for certain mild cases. The standard treatment for appendicitis is an appendectomy, which is surgery to remove the inflamed appendix before it bursts. If a doctor suspects that a person has a burst appendix, they may recommend immediate removal without conducting diagnostic testing.
Removing the appendix as soon as possible is the best prevention for a burst appendix. Early treatment is important to reduce the risk of complications, which can lead to death. During laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon will make several small incisions and use special surgical tools to remove the appendix. With laparotomy surgery, instead of several small incisions, the surgeon will make a single incision in the lower right area of the abdomen to remove the appendix.
This may be necessary in the case of a burst appendix. The single incision allows the surgeon to clean the abdomen of pus and bacteria to prevent infection. Recovery from an appendectomy is usually quick.
Most people will completely recover from appendicitis. Doctors typically will not recommend changing diet, exercise, or lifestyle. Following laparotomy, people must restrict their physical activity for the first 10—14 days.
After laparoscopic surgery, people need to limit activity for 3—5 days. To limit complications of appendicitis, the surgeon will remove the appendix and clean the inside of the abdomen to prevent infection. Without proper treatment, a person can develop peritonitis, which is an inflammation of the peritoneum, or lining of the abdomen. Peritonitis can cause death.
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