Appendicitis Symptoms : Early Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Appendicitis Symptoms : A Complete Guide to Emergency Diagnosis and Treatment

Appendicitis most often results from obstruction of the appendiceal lumen (e.g., fecalith, lymphoid hyperplasia), which leads to secondary infection and inflammation of the appendix. One of the most common appendicitis symptoms is abdominal pain. The early symptoms can vary between different age groups. Early treatment is crucial and can be life‑saving because untreated appendicitis may progress to perforation, abscess, sepsis, and peritonitis

Appendicitis is an inflamed appendix, which can cause acute or intense pain in your lower abdomen. The two types of appendicitis are acute appendicitis and chronic appendicitis. Acute appendicitis typically presents suddenly; chronic or recurrent appendicitis is less common, may present with intermittent milder symptoms, and can progress or recur. This blog discusses the appendicitis symptoms and guides when to seek emergency care.

Symptoms of Appendicitis

Untreated appendicitis can lead to fatal complications in your abdomen. You need to seek emergency care if you are experiencing the following signs and symptoms of appendicitis:

• Early Signs : The early symptoms of appendicitis include pain in the middle of your abdomen, surrounding your belly button. It may come and go for a few hours. The pain increases, and vomiting and nausea develop. After the nausea passes after a few hours, the pain moves into your lower right abdomen towards your appendix, which continues to worsen.
• Symptoms During Pregnancy : Pregnant women may experience different symptoms. While the stomach pain becomes less severe, symptoms like vomiting and nausea may appear. After the first trimester, the pain might move upward towards the upper right quadrant. Some other appendicitis symptoms during pregnancy are pelvic pain, indigestion, pain when urinating, and pain below the rib cage.
• Symptoms for Children : Children or infants may experience pain in a single area. Either pain can be found in several parts of your body, or there will be no pain. Although infants may not experience extreme pain as adults do, abdominal pain is the most common symptom of appendicitis. Another symptom of appendicitis in this age group is having fewer or no bowel movements.

Other Symptoms 

 These are some other chronic and acute appendicitis symptoms, which people may experience later:

• Fever with a temperature of 99° to 102°
• Feeling the need to have a bowel movement to release discomfort
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Malaise or lack of energy, which makes you feel like lying on the bed
• Inability to pass gas
• Swollen belly
• Urge to urinate more
• Bowel paralysis, where your bowel stops moving temporarily
• Severe cramps
• Diarrhoea or extreme poop release

Causes of Appendicitis

Infection and inflammation in the appendix may lead to appendicitis. If your large intestine traps too much bacteria, they proliferate and cause infections. Here are the common causes of your appendix inflammation, swelling, or infection that lead to appendicitis:

• Lymphoid Hyperplasia: Your lymphatic system fights infections by releasing and producing white blood cells in your tissues. It can cause the lymphoid tissue in your appendix to swell. The swollen tissue inside your appendix may cause infection.
• Appendix Stones: Hardfaecal deposits or excreta can be stuck to the opening inside the appendix. They carry and trap bacteria that are inside your appendix.
• Stress: Although it is not likely, severe stress from illness may lead to bowel ischaemia. It reduces blood flow to your intestine and rarely affects your appendix.
• Indigestion: Medical reports also indicate that undigested foods such as seeds or nuts can become lodged in the appendix opening, potentially leading to inflammation. However these are very uncommon contributors.
• Colitis or Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Any inflammatory bowel disease or inflammation in your colon from infection might affect your appendix. It can spread and cause irritation.

Complications of Appendicitis

Untreated appendicitis can cause serious health complications. It can spill debris and bacteria into your abdominal cavity, which holds your stomach, liver, and intestines. Here are the complications that may arise if you see appendicitis symptoms and leave them untreated:

• Ileus: Inflammation in your appendix may cause ileus. Ileus gets triggered when your intestines do not contract, which restricts the movement of your food through your digestive system. This makes you feel bloated and constipated.
• Abscess: The infection in your appendix may not spread beyond your appendix and can form an abscess outside of your appendix. The appendix may also develop a phlegmon around itself, which is a mass. These contain an infection that may burst.
• Fistula: After an appendectomy, a fistula appears. It is a passage between your two body parts which should not occur. In appendicitis, a fistula can involve your intestine, which requires surgery to fix.
• Gangrene or Perforation: An ischaemia increases inflammation, leading to tissue decay. As a result, the infection can spread slowly by internal gangrene and perforation or appendix tears.
• Peritonitis: The spread of infection in your peritoneal cavity leads to peritonitis. This can spread to your other organs and bloodstream.

Diagnosis of Appendicitis

The diagnosis procedure of appendicitis includes answering detailed questions about your symptoms and pain for the doctor. They perform physical exams to check the appendicitis symptoms. These tests help doctors or medical practitioners to understand the cause of your stomach pain.

In addition, they can conduct laboratory tests to confirm the diagnosis process. The professional may also ask for a blood or urine sample to check for pregnancy. Blood tests may also indicate signs of inflammation, such as a high C-reactive protein count or high white blood cell count, to identify an infection.

They can also order imaging tests, such as ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI scan, to identify inflammation, abscess or appendix blockage.

Treatment of Appendicitis

Since appendicitis is an emergency disease, it is treated in an emergency room. The treatment of appendicitis includes both medications and surgeries. Here is the analysis of how appendicitis is treated:

• Medication : Antibiotics are necessary for the treatment of appendicitis, which is also crucial before surgeries. Your healthcare provider can also take a wait-and-watch approach to check if antibiotics are enough to treat appendicitis. However, nonoperative management with antibiotics can be considered for selected patients with uncomplicated appendicitis.
• Surgery : Healthcare providers will use laparoscopic surgery to make small incisions and use special tools to remove the appendix. This ensures lower risks of complications and a shorter recovery time.
  In addition, healthcare providers may use a single-incision method to remove the appendix, known as laparotomy surgery. This helps the surgeon clean the inside of the abdomen and prevent infection.
• After Surgery : You need to stay in the hospital until your pain is under control and you are allowed to consume liquids. Your doctor may also recommend using antibiotics for some days if you develop an abscess or other complications.

When to Seek Emergency Care for Appendicitis?

You must seek emergency care if you start experiencing initial appendicitis symptoms or if you think your child has been affected by it. Since it is a life-threatening condition, treating appendicitis requires immediate medical care. Healthcare providers may also take you to the emergency room if over-the-counter medications are unable to relieve the gas.

Final Words

Abdominal pain is the earliest symptom of appendicitis. This pain suddenly appears and increases over time. Leaving it untreated may result in severe complications like ileus, abscess, peritonitis, and gangrene. Hence, it is advisable to seek emergency care by informing doctors once you start experiencing appendicitis symptoms.