In the article, we consider the signs of appendicitis in adolescents. What is this disease?
This is an increase in the appendix, which is accompanied by an inflammatory process. The main cause of appendicitis in adolescents and children aged 8 to 18 years is the disturbance of microflora, which leads to the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, as well as the accumulation and hardening of feces. The provocateurs of such a pathological process may be a decrease in immunity, hypothermia, prolonged infectious diseases, increased stress and stress.
Since appendicitis does not have pronounced symptoms, it is not easy to recognize this pathology. You can confuse inflammation of the appendix with conventional poisoning or digestive disorders, so you need to know the signs of appendicitis in adolescents.
Features of appendicitis in adolescents
Adolescents have always been considered the most vulnerable category of patients. Since appendicitis usually occurs before the age of 16 years. This may be due to insufficient hygiene and other physiological characteristics. In children and adolescents, the intestines are much longer than in adults, so it is highly likely that the appendix can move or the intestine can become tangled and fall out. With this clinical picture, it is impossible to detect the onset of an attack on your own. Often a child can only make a complaint about dull pain in the lower abdomen. Even if there are other signs and symptoms, it is extremely difficult to detect the acute stage of appendicitis, therefore, such manifestations must be taken very seriously.
How does appendicitis manifest in adolescents, everyone should know.
A very important point - when a child begins to complain of severe abdominal pain that is localized near the navel, and at the same time he has a fever or vomiting, you should call an ambulance. You can accurately determine the diagnosis using radiography and ultrasound.
Symptoms of appendicitis in adolescents are sometimes difficult to detect.
Diagnosis of appendicitis in girls
In many cases, in girls who have entered puberty, appendicitis goes unnoticed, because all the signs and symptoms are very similar to the occurrence of gynecological diseases and problems. Girls aged 12 to 15 years may have complaints of pain in the lower abdomen, which sometimes gives to the lower back. If the inflammation of the appendix has passed to the purulent stage, then the girl may feel discomfort in the perineum and pubis. These symptoms in adolescent girls require careful examination, because it is impossible to visually determine what caused the pain. For this, in addition to ultrasound and x-rays of the abdominal organs, girls are prescribed a gynecological examination in order to confirm or deny the likelihood of gynecological diseases.
The first signs of appendicitis in adolescents
The initial symptoms of appendicitis appear already at the catarrhal stage, when the appendix is already inflamed and enlarged, but pus has not yet appeared. This period lasts about 12 hours. During this time, the teenager has a throbbing or dull pain on the right side of the hypochondrium, lower abdomen, lower back, iliac region. The location of pain syndromes depends on the location of the appendix. There are times when discomfort can even go to the forearm, so you should not try to determine the cause of the pain yourself. During the first 3-12 hours after the pathological process has begun, the following symptoms are usually noticed in a child:
- the temperature rises to 38-38.5 degrees;
- dry mouth and bitter taste;
- increased heart rate;
- increased nervous irritability.
Single vomiting
In most cases, the initial stage of appendicitis is characterized by a single vomiting without containing particles of bile, gastric juice and blood streaks. It is also important to clarify that children who suffer from gastritis have similar symptoms, which may indicate exacerbations of a chronic disease. In some cases, the same clinical picture can be observed with pancreatitis and cholecystitis, so you must go to the hospital without waiting for the condition to worsen.
Consider what teenagers show signs of purulent appendicitis.
How to recognize purulent appendicitis?
The main danger for adolescents with appendicitis is that when it becomes purulent (filling the appendix with pus), the symptoms of the disease begin to subside, and the teenager feels better. At the same time, many parents of these children calm down on this and do not take any further actions to determine the causes of temporary ailments, and attribute this to digestive system disorders.
But such a frivolous attitude can lead to very tragic results, because if there is a rupture of the appendix, then all the purulent contents will penetrate into the abdominal cavity. Then, the teenager will develop peritonitis, which in a short time will cause blood poisoning. In this case, a positive prognosis directly depends on how quickly parents seek medical help, so it is impossible to ignore any symptoms that may indicate the presence of inflammation. Despite such a deceptive improvement, according to some signs, one can still suspect that a teenager needs emergency assistance from specialists. These signs include:
- bloating;
- dense white coating on the surface of the cheeks and tongue;
- lack of intestinal contraction (peristalsis).
Similar symptoms usually appear on the second day after the onset of the first symptoms. Almost no pain, or they are weakly expressed.
White blood cells with appendicitis in a teenager are increased, ESR also increases.
Signs of an appendix rupture
If acute appendicitis cannot be cured in 48 hours, then the chance that the appendix can burst is very high. And if this happens, then all the pus and dead tissue and cells will fall into the abdominal cavity. In this case, the adolescent will develop peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal cavity). Peritonitis is extremely dangerous for the life of a child , when the process of inflammation affects all organs of the abdominal cavity. In such situations, the score will go literally on the clock, so if any symptoms of peritonitis have been detected, an emergency team should be called immediately. At the initial stages, when the rupture of the appendix only occurs , the main symptom is pain that is girdle-like and “diverges” throughout the body. In this case, the teenager will complain of abdominal pain, but will not be able to accurately show the place where it hurts. The abdomen itself will be swollen and vomiting may occur. At the same time, nausea practically does not stop and can even increase as pus moves along the abdominal cavity.
This is how abdomen hurts with appendicitis in adolescents.
Stage of imaginary well-being
Parents need to know that peritonitis has several stages, one of which is called the stage of imaginary well-being. At this stage, the teenager's pain almost completely disappears, because the nerve endings are paralyzed, the sensitivity goes away. The teenager himself may not state any complaints, but there are some external signs that may indicate the need for medical intervention. These signs include:
- rapid pulse;
- tachycardia;
- clammy, cold sweat;
- symptoms of intestinal obstruction.
You need to know that this stage of imaginary well-being does not last long (only a few hours), then intestinal obstruction occurs and severe intoxication appears. If the teenager is not delivered to the hospital on time, death can occur.
Treatment
Diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis should be timely. Any delay is fraught with grave consequences.
Treatment of peritonitis is possible only at the initial stage, so the result of treatment directly depends on at what point you seek medical help. Among children and adolescents, there is a high mortality from acute peritonitis, so you need to notice every sign in time that may indicate appendicitis. If you remove the appendix to the child on time, it can save his life and maintain health. In time, the operation usually takes from 30 minutes to several hours.
Recovery
And the recovery stage with timely treatment to the hospital takes place without complications. Stitches to the child are removed already on the 10th day. This process is painless and there is no discomfort. Appendicitis is a very unpredictable and dangerous disease that usually begins with a simple digestive upset. Children are more than adults susceptible to inflammation of the appendix, so parents need to be attentive to the condition of the child. When there are abdominal pains, vomiting, dyspepsia and other symptoms, self-medication is not necessary, a visit to the doctor may be a reasonable solution in this situation.
We examined the symptoms of appendicitis in adolescents.