Appendicitis in a child: symptoms of the disease and the importance of providing timely assistance

Unfortunately, among most people there is a misconception that appendicitis is an "adult" disease. The opinion is due to the general ideas about this small vermicular appendage of the intestine. For some reason, many people think that inflammation occurs only if the small "spares" are very full after a certain number of years, for example, when eating poorly digestible food particles (seeds, pork skin, etc.) is eaten. But not all of this is interconnected. It turns out that appendicitis can also occur in the child. Symptoms in small patients are somewhat deceptive and can be misleading even experienced doctors. How to determine the exact cause of abdominal pain? How dangerous is the belated decision about surgery? The answers to these and other questions can be found in the article.

Appendicitis in a child: Symptoms are often deceptive

Especially with this problem parents of young children often face. Often they exclude the fact that appendicitis in a child can become inflamed . Symptoms and abdominal pain that appear in toddlers, adults are taken for manifestations of other diseases. Complaints about nausea can be, for example, and food poisoning, overeating, swelling, increased gas formation in the intestine. Diagnosis of acute appendicitis is greatly simplified with a full examination of the baby. When suspicion of appendicitis is always done sampling tests, which determine the inflammatory process in the body. But most accurately can be diagnosed only after an ultrasound. After all, every tenth child arriving in the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain, appendicitis is actually found. The others reveal other reasons. Not always vomiting and severe pain in the form of a rezi in the right lower abdomen signal that appendicitis in a child has become aggravated. Symptoms of this disease can still be distinguished from manifestations of other problems with the digestive system. If the baby is present at the same time, several of the following complaints, it is worth to sound an alarm and urgently seek medical attention.

Symptoms that require immediate attention:

- permanent pain in the lower right abdomen for more than 12 hours;

- nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, the appearance of diarrhea;

- Colic in case of abrupt movements (driving in a car, coughing, walking on bumps);

- with palpation of the abdomen, special sensitivity and pain after pressing and "releasing" the patient site.

The unpleasant consequences of when the appendicitis is removed with delay

Unfortunately, almost half of the children have a ruptured appendix in connection with the setting of an inaccurate diagnosis and, as a consequence, with not quite timely intervention. This greatly complicates the conduct of the operation itself and the subsequent rehabilitation period. Therefore, for any abdominal pain in the child, especially the younger (preschool) age, consult a doctor to determine the cause of the complaints in a timely manner and avoid unforeseen situations. Protect the health of children!