What are signs of appendicitis?

An appendicitis attack causes significant pain in the abdominal area and often requires surgery to remove the inflamed appendix. According to the Cleveland Clinic, males experience appendicitis more often than females, with the condition being most prevalent in the 15- to 30-year-old age group. Because abdominal pain is the chief symptom of more than one medical condition, appendicitis can be difficult to diagnose.

The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch at the junction of the small and large intestine. The appendix has no known function in the digestive process but can become inflamed if a piece of food waste or hard stool becomes trapped in it or if you have recently had a gastrointestinal virus. In either case, bacteria begin to build in the appendix, causing inflammation and the production of pus. If the appendix is not removed at this point, it can eventually rupture, putting you at risk of developing peritonitis, a potentially deadly infection of the abdominal cavity.

The pain of appendicitis usually begins near your belly button and migrates to the lower right part of your abdomen. The pain may not be severe at first, but over the course of several hours, it may increase significantly. Pain may be accompanied by vomiting, fever, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, swelling in the abdomen, loss of appetite or trouble passing gas. The exact area of the pain may vary depending on the position of your appendix. Pregnant women or young children may not experience pain in the same area as other people do. Pressing on the painful area often doesn't cause an increase in pain if you have appendicitis. Instead, pain may increase when you remove your fingers from your abdomen.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_5110470_signs-appendicitis-attack.html

The appendix is a small pouch that is attached to the colon. An appendicitis attack occurs when the appendix becomes severely inflamed and also becomes filled with pus. Inflammation may occur as a result of food waste or a fecal stone getting stuck in one of the orifices that are present in the abdominal cavity near the appendix. A gastrointestinal virus may also cause infection that can lead to inflammation. According to the Mayo Clinic, appendicitis attacks are most common in individuals between ages 10 and 30. The most effective treatment for an appendicitis attack is surgical removal of the appendix.

The primary symptom associated with an appendicitis attack is severe pain. Usually an aching pain is first felt around the navel area and then later on the right side of the lower abdomen. Eventually, the pain settles near the appendix. The appendix is located at the McBurney point, which is about midway between the right pelvic bone and the navel. However, the location of the pain may be different. Pregnant women and small children, especially, may feel appendicitis pain in other parts of the abdomen. The pain gradually intensifies over a time period lasting anywhere from six to 12 hours.

The area near the appendix will usually be tender to the touch. Abrupt movements, walking and coughing may make the pain more intense. Pain may be alleviated somewhat by lying on the side while bringing the knees up to the chest. The abdominal tenderness may be especially excessive if the appendix is pressing against the peritoneum. The peritoneum is the inner abdominal wall's membrane lining.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/17226-signs-appendicitis/

According to the Mayo Clinic, appendicitis is a condition in which the appendix becomes filled with pus and inflamed. The only treatment is surgical removal of the appendix; appendicitis is the No. 1 cause of emergency abdominal surgery in the United States and usually occurs between the ages of 10 and 30.

The classic sign of appendicitis is abdominal pain, which occurs suddenly and often causes the person to wake from a sound sleep. Usually the first symptom, the abdominal pain starts near the belly button and then radiates to the lower right. This is a unique type of pain and worsens within hours; the pain also worsens during deep breaths, movement, sneezing or coughing.

Other signs of appendicitis can include constipation, diarrhea, an inability to pass gas, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal swelling, and the feeling that a bowel movement will relieve the discomfort. Often a low-grade fever will follow the other symptoms.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/97509-warning-signs-appendicitis/

Appendicitis signs can be pretty painful from your right abdomen being tender to and pain starting near the navel. This can also be accompanied with a fever and vomiting but in any case you would need to see your health care provider.You ca...

When the appendix is blocked it becomes inflamed and results in the condition called appendicitis. If the blockage continues the tissue becomes infected and can cause your appendix to rupture.

Appendicitis is fairly uncommon at this age, so it's likely something else, but it is possible. Appendicitis can be hard for a parent to diagnose, though. At first, it may seem a lot like stomach flu. The classic symptoms are abdominal pain...

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Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of peritonitis and shock."hobbler"> Reginald Fitz first described acute and chronic appendicitis in 1886, and it has been recognized as one of the most common causes of severe acute abdominal pain worldwide. A correctly diagnosed non-acute form of appendicitis is known as "rumbling appendicitis".

These include localized findings in the right iliac fossa. The abdominal wall becomes very sensitive to gentle pressure (palpation). Also, there is rebound tenderness. In case of a retrocecal appendix, however, even deep pressure in the right lower quadrant may fail to elicit tenderness (silent appendix), the reason being that the cecum, distended with gas, prevents the pressure exerted by the palpating hand from reaching the inflamed appendix. Similarly, if the appendix lies entirely within the pelvis, there is usually complete absence of the abdominal rigidity. In such cases, a digital rectal examination elicits tenderness in the rectovesical pouch. Coughing causes point tenderness in this area (McBurneys point) and this is the least painful way to localize the inflamed appendix. If the abdomen on palpation is also involuntarily guarded (rigid), there should be a strong suspicion of peritonitis requiring urgent surgical intervention.

Continuous deep palpation starting from the left iliac fossa upwards (anti clockwise along the colon) may cause pain in the right iliac fossa, by pushing bowel contents towards the ileocaecal valve and thus increasing pressure around the appendix. This is the Rovsings sign.

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