Diseases of children are always a cause for worry. Especially when it comes to surgical pathologies in which the child needs surgery. Unfortunately, such diseases are found in children and adults with the same frequency. The most common surgical pathology is appendicitis. It can be observed at any age. If a child of 10 years has a stomach ache, then it is worth taking this very carefully. After all, the cause of discomfort can be inflammation of the appendix. In fact, appendicitis is not considered a serious illness. Nevertheless, untimely assistance may lead to the development of complications.
What is this disease?
Each parent needs to know the symptoms of appendicitis in a child of 10 years old. After all, no one is safe from this pathology. Moreover, at the indicated age, it occurs quite often. Appendicitis is considered an inflammatory disease. It occurs due to the development of a pathological reaction in the part of the cecum - the appendix. Normally, this organ is not involved in the digestive function, so its removal should not scare the child's parents. Nevertheless, at the slightest suspicion of inflammation of the appendix, it is worthwhile to beware and call an ambulance. The main symptoms of appendicitis in a 10-year-old child are abdominal pain and fever. The severity and localization of unpleasant sensations may vary depending on the characteristics of the body. Therefore, the atypical clinical picture does not mean that the child does not have inflammation of the appendix.
Causes of appendicitis in children 10 years old
The mechanism of occurrence of appendicitis is considered not fully understood. It is known that the vermiform appendix contains lymphoid tissue, so the ingress of bacteria or viruses into this organ causes a pronounced inflammatory reaction.
Acute appendicitis in children of 10 years is in most cases associated with malnutrition. It is believed that the use of certain foods leads to "contamination" of the intestine, in particular the appendix. This refers to the ingestion of seeds and peeled nuts, chips, salted crackers, etc. Given that children eat these foods quite often, the symptoms of appendicitis in a 10-year-old child are not surprising.
Another reason is the penetration of harmful agents into the bloodstream. Most often this is observed if there are chronic foci of infection. These include diseases such as caries, tonsillitis, sinusitis. With a decrease in immune forces, microbial particles can enter the bloodstream. Naturally, in this case the appendix reacts. Indeed, in this body there are many lymphocytes and macrophages.
Regardless of the cause of inflammation (microbes or accumulation of harmful food residues), the development of appendicitis is the same. As a result of hypertrophy of the lymphoid tissue, the appendix grows in size, fluid stagnation, edema and inflammation occur.
How to recognize the symptoms of appendicitis in children 10-11 years old?
Signs of inflammation of the appendix can be different. However, there are a number of typical symptoms that occur most often. The following signs of appendicitis in children of 10 years are distinguished:
- Abdominal pain. Localization depends on the location of the appendix. In most cases, it is located in the right iliac region. But it's not always the case. There are several atypical localizations of the appendix. Among them are the pelvic cavity, the region of the kidneys, and the lower abdomen. Therefore, the location of pain may be different.
- Fever. With uncomplicated appendicitis, it is 37-38 degrees.
- Nausea. This symptom may appear even before the onset of pain and accompanies all stages of inflammation of the appendix.
- Vomiting Some are not observed. Most often, vomiting occurs no more than 1-2 times.
The first symptoms of appendicitis in a 10-year-old child are loss of appetite and pain in the stomach. These signs appear earlier than others. In the following hours, they are replaced by a typical clinical picture. The pain moves to the right iliac region, the body temperature rises.
Severity of appendicitis
There are 3 degrees of severity of inflammation of the appendix. They depend on the morphological picture of the affected appendix. Each of them corresponds to certain clinical manifestations. Mild appendicitis occurs with catarrhal inflammation. It is characterized by not very pronounced pain, an increase in body temperature to subfebrile numbers. The general condition of the child is satisfactory, nausea and loss of appetite are noted.
Moderate severity corresponds to purulent phlegmonous appendicitis. In this case, the following symptoms are noted: fever up to 38 degrees, increased pain (paroxysmal), worsening.
A severe stage occurs with gangrenous inflammation. This type of appendicitis is characterized by necrosis of the appendix. In this case, perforation and the ingress of affected tissues into the abdominal cavity often occur. Symptoms of appendicitis in a child of 10 years old at this stage are expressed in intolerable pain throughout the abdomen, with an increase in body temperature to 39-40 degrees. A similar condition leads to the development of complications.
Specific symptoms of appendix inflammation
In addition to clinical manifestations, there are many specific symptoms due to which acute appendicitis is diagnosed. Not only doctors, but also parents should know them. After all, thanks to checking at least 1-2 symptoms, inflammation of the appendix can be suspected. In fact, there are more than 100 specific signs of appendicitis. In surgical practice, several of them are used (about 5-7). The following specific signs of appendicitis are distinguished:
- Symptom of Resurrection. It consists in the occurrence of pain when holding fingers from the epigastric region to the lower abdomen. This movement is compared to pulling on a shirt.
- Sign of Bartomier-Michelson. The patient puts on his left side. The child’s knees should be bent. On palpation of the cecum, severe pain is observed.
- Symptom of Sitkovsky. Reminds the previous specific sign of appendicitis. The difference is that pain occurs without palpation of the abdomen (when turning on the left side).
- Symptom Obraztsova. The child should lie on his back with legs bent at the knee joints. When raising the right lower limb and simultaneously performing palpation of the cecum, there is an increase in soreness.
- Symptom of Rowzing. It is characterized by increased pain during palpation of the left ileal region (sigmoid colon). In addition, the doctor carries out movements with his fingers, as if pushing the accumulated gases up.
- The main symptom is Shchetkin-Blumberg. It consists in tensioning the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall during palpation of the right iliac region with the thumb. A sharp release of it causes an increase in soreness. This symptom is rarely observed with mild to moderate appendicitis. More often it occurs if complications develop (gangrenous inflammation, peritonitis).
Appendicitis: symptoms in children 10 years old, photo of a sick child
Many parents resort to the help of online sources in the worsening condition of the child. The information posted on medical websites is often reliable, but in any case it is very important to seek qualified medical help as soon as possible. Only a symptom doctor will 100% confirm the pathology, if any. Photos of sick children posted in the article can only give an approximate idea of the problem.
Diagnostics
It is useful for parents to know how to determine appendicitis in children. In addition to the clinical manifestations of the disease and verification of specific symptoms, laboratory diagnosis is important. Given that the signs of appendicitis can resemble many other pathologies (gastritis, adnexitis, pyelonephritis), it is impossible to rely on complaints and examination only.
If you suspect inflammation of the appendix, it is necessary to perform a UAC and a general urine test. The most important indicator is leukocytosis. If it is in the patient’s blood, the diagnosis of appendicitis is considered reliable. In OAM, leukocyturia and bacteria can be observed. If the doctor has doubts about the diagnosis, an abdominal ultrasound is performed.
Surgical treatment
The only way to treat appendicitis is surgery. In some cases, it is carried out by the laparoscopic method. Most often, an open operation is performed using an oblique incision in the area of the right iliac region. The appendix is brought out and cut off at the base. The vessels coagulate. The remaining stump of the appendix is carefully sutured to the intestine.
Prevention of inflammation of the appendix
To avoid inflammation of the appendix, you need to eat properly, maintain immunity. Children are not recommended to eat seeds and nuts, fast food. You should also promptly sanitize foci of infectious inflammation.