Appendicitis in children
goodtoknow says: Appendicitis is more common in children than adults and particularly common in teenagers. It happens when the appendix becomes inflamed by infection. Your child will have a colicky pain in the middle of their stomach that usually spreads to the right within the next few hours. They may also feel sick, have a fever and be constipated or have diarrhoea. Appendicitis is sometimes difficult to diagnose as symptoms can be vague. Surgery is usually the best option and recovery is quick.
For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of appendicitis from patient.co.uk, read on.
Appendicitis means inflammation of the appendix. The appendix is a small pouch that comes off the gut wall. Appendicitis is common. Typical symptoms include abdominal pain and vomiting that gradually get worse over 6-24 hours. Some people have less typical symptoms. An operation to remove the inflamed appendix is usually done before it perforates (bursts). A perforated appendix is serious.
What and where is the appendix?
The appendix is a small 'dead end' pouch, like a little tube, that comes off the caecum. The caecum is the first part of the large intestine (large bowel) just before the colon. The small intestine digests and absorbs food. The parts of the food that are not digested begin to be formed into faeces (motions) in the caecum. The appendix is normally about 5-10 cm long and quite thin. The appendix appears to have no function. The reason it is there is a bit of a mystery.
