Kids' health - common conditions: Appendicitis

Appendicitis

What is it? An infection of your appendix, causing it to swell up and fill with pus.

What are the symptoms? Typical things to watch out for are:
- stomach pain that gets worse over 24 hours
- vomiting
- fever
- feeling sick and off food

What should I do? If you're worried, go and see your doctor, who will do a check to see if it really is appendicitis. If it is, your child will need an operation to remove the appendix. It's quick and straightforward and has a short recovery time.

How long does it last? The symptoms usually appear very quickly over a period of 24 hours. They need to be acted on very quickly.

When will they get it? It's most common in teenagers, but can occur at any age

What if my child doesn't get it? Although appendicitis is common, not everyone gets it and most people keep their appendix for their whole life with no problems.

- Get more info about appendicitis in children

More common conditions

- Chicken pox
- Croup
- German measles/Rubella
- Glue ear
- Head lice/Nits
- Measles
- Mumps
- Ringworm
- Scarlet fever
- Slapped cheek syndrome