Appendicitis is perhaps the greatest worry for parents when their child has significant abdominal pain. Working in an urgent care clinic, "Is it an appendicitis?" was probably the most asked question by a concerned parent about a child who was groaning from stomach problems. There are many misconceptions about this disease and it's a constant dilemma to decide if the abdominal pain your child is feeling right now is something that can wait or if they should rush into the emergency room right away.

What Is The Appendix?

The appendix is a cylindrical structure that is found at the end of the small intestine. As far as we know, it has no apparent function in the human body.

What Is Appendicitis?

Appendicitis occurs when this structure becomes inflamed and swollen from pus. It's most often seen in the age group of 10 to 30 and is the number one abdominal surgical emergency, with up to 80,000 surgeries performed in the U.S. each year. Preventing the appendix from "bursting" and causing the spread of infection is the reason why proper diagnosis and appropriately timed surgical intervention is paramount. Peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal lining, is a life threatening illness that may result without surgical intervention.

What Are The Symptoms?

Pain usually starts around the belly button and then twelve to eighteen hours later, moves over to the lower right side of the abdomen. The abdomen will be very tender to the touch. There may also be nausea, vomiting, fever and a loss of appetite.

How Is Appendicitis Diagnosed?

Very carefully. It can be very difficult for a physician to diagnose appendicitis correctly, as it can be seen in patients with even the mildest forms of pain. After performing a complete physical, if your doctor suspects appendicitis, he or she will most likely order a complete blood count and abdominal or chest X-rays. A surgeon may then need to be called in to the emergency room, to decide if a patient needs to have his or her appendix surgically removed. Nothing is given by mouth, but instead fluids will be given intravenously.

I've Heard About Surgeries Performed When The Appendix Was Normal, Yet It Was Removed Anyway. What Gives?

Unfortunately due the difficulty in diagnosing appendicitis, about 20 to 30 percent of all appendectomies performed resulted in removal of normal appendices. However, to avoid risking leaving a possibly infected appendix, surgeons remove the organ anyway. Because of this high rate of misdiagnosis, many emergency rooms are switching to high resolution CT scans which appears to be more sensitive in detecting appendicitis.

What Kind Of Surgery Is Performed?

Laparoscopy has appeared to be the procedure of choice for most elective appendectomies. In this type of surgery, small cuts are made in the abdomen and a fiberoptic camera is inserted to visualize the procedure along with specialized surgical instruments to remove the appendix. The benefits are a smaller scar and faster recovery time. Most patients can be discharged in a few days. If the call for surgery is for a ruptured appendix, a larger incision is made and the classic open type surgery is performed.

Is There Anyway To Prevent Appendicitis?

It does not appear so, although some researchers theorize that fiber may play a role. African countries that have a high fiber diet appear to have a lower rate of appendicitis. More studies need to be conducted to establish a stronger association.