Dr Geoffrey Glazer, senior consultant general surgeon, on appendicitis
'We still don't know what causes appendicitis. There are degrees of appendicitis from mild to severe. On the mild end of the spectrum, it may resolve itself. Alternatively, it may remain inflamed and an abscess will form and will have to be drained. More seriously, it may become gangrenous, becoming black, and could then perforate, releasing poison into the abdomen. But there is no easy way to make the diagnosis. Patients often complain of pain on the lower right-hand side, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and slight fever. On examination, appendicitis patients are likely to feel tender when you press on the abdomen, and they will often have a furry tongue, bad breath and a slight temperature.'
Dr Geoffrey Glazer, senior consultant general surgeon, St Mary's Hospital, London
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