Appendicitis is when your appendix, a small organ shaped like a tube attached to your big intestine, gets blocked, infected, and gets big and swollen. This can cause sudden and strong pain in your lower belly. We don't really know why we have an appendix, but when it gets inflamed, it's a serious issue. The usual treatment is to have a surgery to remove the appendix.
What Happens with Appendicitis?
Your appendix is like a small pouch, about the size of your finger, sticking out from the lower right side of your big intestine. Sometimes, things like poop in your intestines can block it or make it infected. This makes it swell, and if it swells too much, it can burst.
When the appendix bursts, it can be a big problem. Germs from your intestines can spread all over your belly, causing an infection called peritonitis. This infection can even go into your blood, making you very sick with something called sepsis. Because of this danger, the usual way to treat appendicitis is to take out the appendix through surgery. But don't worry, your body can work just fine withou t it.
Understanding Acute and Chronic Appendicitis
Appendicitis usually happens suddenly and gets worse quickly. This is called acute appendicitis, and it's the type we know a lot about because it's quite common. On the other hand, chronic appendicitis is rare and not well understood. It seems to happen when your appendix gets irritated on and off for a long time, but it doesn't get worse like acute appendicitis does.
Chronic appendicitis can be tricky to notice because the symptoms don't get really bad like in acute appendicitis. But both types are serious. If you have ongoing belly pain and you're not sure why, it's important to talk to a doctor. Chronic appendicitis might suddenly become worse and turn into acute appendicitis. Because of this risk, doctors treat both types in the same way to make sure you're safe.
How Often Does Appendicitis Happen?
Acute appendicitis is pretty common, especially between ages 10 and 30. Teens get it the most, but even younger kids can have it. In the U.S., around 5 out of 100 people will have acute appendicitis sometime in their life. It's the top reason for belly pain that needs emergency surgery.
Chronic appendicitis is rare, happening to about 1 out of 100 people.
What Does Appendicitis Feel Like?
When you have appendicitis, you might feel belly pain, queasy tummy, and not wanting to eat. There's a usual way these feelings show up that can help spot appendicitis. But sadly, only about half of people with appendicitis have these classic feelings. Kids, older adults, and pregnant people might not have the usual symptoms.
How Does Appendicitis Start?
Normally, the belly pain starts in the middle around your belly button. It could come and go for a few hours. Later, the pain gets worse, and you might feel sick and throw up. After a while, the sickness feeling goes away, but the pain moves to the lower right side of your belly where your appendix is. The pain gets stronger and keeps getting worse.
Other Things You Might Feel with Appendicitis
As time goes on, some people might start to have more symptoms:
- Fever: Up to 40% of people might get a fever. It's like a signal your body is working harder to fight something. It might mean inflammation or infection is getting worse.
- Feeling Sick: You might feel not good in general. Like when you're sick, you might feel tired and not want to do anything.
- Swollen Belly: Your belly might look bigger or feel puffy. This usually happens later and could mean your appendix burst.
- Peeing Often: You might feel like you have to pee a lot or really quickly. This can happen if appendicitis bothers the nerves connected to your bladder.
- Stomach Not Moving: When your body sends more blood to your appendix, your bowels might slow down for a bit. Some people get constipated or feel like they can't pass gas. You might feel like going to the bathroom would make you feel better.
- Pooping More: Some people might have more frequent poops. This could be because inflammation from your appendix is bothering the end of your colon nearby.
What Other Conditions Might Be Mistaken for Appendicitis?
The signs of appendicitis can be similar to other problems. This is especially true for women and people who are assigned female at birth (AFAB). The area in your lower belly is close to your pelvic area, and issues with your pelvic organs might feel a lot like appendicitis. These organs include parts of your urinary and female reproductive systems. Other organs in your lower belly might also be involved.
Here are some common problems that might seem like appendicitis:
1. Pelvic inflammatory disease.
2. Endometriosis.
3. Ovarian cyst.
4. Kidney stone.
5. Urinary tract infection.
6. Pancreatitis.
7. Inflammatory bowel disease.
8. Diverticulitis of the colon.
9. Gastroenteritis.
10. Intestinal obstruction.
What Causes Appendicitis?
Appendicitis can happen because of the size and location of your appendix. It's easy for it to get clogged and infected. Your big intestine has lots of bacteria, and sometimes, if too many of them get stuck in your appendix, they can grow too much and cause an infection. Sometimes, an infection can start the problem, and sometimes, the infection comes later. When your appendix swells, it can close up and trap more bacteria inside.
Some common things that can cause your appendix to get swollen, blocked, or infected are:
1. Hard poop (appendix stones): These are hard bits of poop that can get stuck in the opening of your appendix. They have bacteria and can also keep bacteria that was already there from getting out.
2. Lymphoid hyperplasia: This happens when your immune system's lymphatic system makes too many white blood cells to fight infections. This can make the tissue in your appendix swell, even if the infection is somewhere else in your body. The swollen tissue can block your appendix and cause an infection.
3. Colitis: This is inflammation in your colon from an infection or a condition like inflammatory bowel disease. It can affect your appendix too, spreading the infection or making the inflammation worse.
Other things that might block your appendix opening are:
- Tumors.
- Parasites.
- Cystic fibrosis.
What Causes Chronic Appendicitis?
Chronic appendicitis is when your appendix gets a bit inflamed on and off for a long time. This could be because of something like a long-lasting condition such as inflammatory bowel disease or having too many bacteria. It could also be due to something blocking and unblocking the opening of your appendix. If the inflammation lasts for a very long time, it might cause more issues like too much swelling or scars inside your appendix.
Is Appendicitis Passed Down in Families?
Having family members who had appendicitis might make you more likely to get it too, but we're not sure why. The actual problem of appendicitis isn't inherited, but the things that can cause it might have something to do with genes.
Can Stress Give You Appendicitis?
It's not very likely. However, when someone is very sick and stressed, their intestines might not get enough blood for a short time, which is called bowel ischemia. This can rarely affect the appendix and lead to problems.
Can What You Eat Cause Appendicitis?
In some rare cases, a small piece of seed or nut that wasn't digested properly might get stuck in the opening of the appendix and cause inflammation. But in general, eating foods with more fiber can actually lower your chances of getting appendicitis.
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