Acute appendicitis in children. Symptoms and clinic.

Acute appendicitis is a nonspecific inflammation of the vermiform appendage of the cecum. In childhood, this condition can be caused by characteristic changes in the process, its location, attachment and development of complications. Appendicitis in newborns is extremely rare. The most common disease occurs in children after two years, and its peak falls on 14-19 years. Appendicitis in children is a very insidious disease, its symptoms can resemble other diseases and it is this fact that often makes diagnostics very difficult. Often there are atypical forms of this disease, and the process itself can be located not in the right lower abdomen, but in completely different places.

Acute appendicitis in children. Symptoms.

The causes of this condition in children are still not identified, some experts suggest that they may be overeating, reducing immunity and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. The main symptom of this disease is a dull sudden pain in the upper abdomen or in the navel. These sensations do not have an exact localization and can move to the right iliac region or cover the entire abdomen. At the time of the attack, the child may complain of dry mouth, nausea, sometimes diarrhea. He can have a rise in body temperature, plaque on the tongue.

Clinical picture

Appendicitis in preschool children has its own peculiarities and develops quite violently, because the general reaction of the body to the inflammatory process often blocks the development of local symptoms, which is explained by the immediate development of peritonitis. Older children may sometimes experience dull pain in the abdomen, but the activity does not decrease and parents often do not attach special importance to this fact. And only when the child stops eating, walking and having fun, adults start to sound the alarm. If at the same time there are strong abdominal pains giving up in the leg, you should immediately call a doctor who will make the final diagnosis. If at this time to take a child's blood test, he will show the presence of a strong inflammatory process: leukocytosis, increased ESR, an increase in the number of nuclear rods.

Appendicitis in children. Treatment.

When the first symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, as any intervention can provoke a rupture of the appendix and the development of peritonitis. If the doctor has confirmed the diagnosis of "appendicitis," the treatment will only be surgical and the sooner it starts, the better. The child will be discharged after the operation on the seventh-eighth day, however, he will be under observation of the surgeon of the polyclinic for some time. If the wound does not heal well, then the surgeon will have to visit a little longer.

Appendicitis in children. Possible complications.

If the surgery is not carried out in time, serious complications can occur that could threaten the health and life of the patient. At the first symptoms or suspicion of appendicitis, you should not give the child to drink and eat, as strengthening the peristalsis of the intestine can trigger a rupture of the appendix. This complication can also develop due to appendicitis gangrene, due to the inflammatory process in the abdominal cavity, and also due to peritonitis complicated by sepsis. Intestinal obstruction, as a complication of appendicitis, is rare, it develops if the inflammation around the appendix causes the intestinal musculature to stop working. The food stops passing and the gut is filled with gas and liquid, the stomach swells, and the child may experience vomiting and nausea.

Appendicitis in a child is considered an emergency and requires immediate hospitalization and surgical intervention.