Inflammation of appendicitis is called a process that affects the appendix. This element belongs to the cecum and is referred to in medicine as the “appendix”. Symptoms of the disease vary somewhat, this is determined by the form and individual characteristics of the patient. Chronic and acute inflammation of appendicitis in children and adults is distinguished. The first option in the past few years is much less common than before. As a rule, the reason is that acute inflammation proceeded with complications, due to which removal was impossible.
Acute form
With this kind of disease, several stages are distinguished. One stage eventually passes into another, if there was no interference from doctors. They talk about:
- Catarrhal stage. Inflammation of appendicitis at this step usually affects only the mucous membrane of the appendix.
- Surface shape. In this case, progress is observed relative to the catarrhal, which leads to damage to the mucous membrane of the organ. Studying the lumen of the appendix, one can see white blood cells and blood.
- Phlegmonous stage. It is characterized by inflammation, affecting all layers of the tissues of the organ. Destructive processes are affected, including the outer shell of the appendix.
- Phlegmonous and ulcerative. This form is characterized by ulceration of the surface of the mucosa that protects the organ from the outside.
- Gangrenous. This stage is characterized by necrosis of the process wall. Often there is a breakthrough of tissues, which is why the contents of the appendix flow into the abdominal cavity, which provokes peritonitis. With the development of appendicitis to this stage, a high probability of death.
Time does not endure
As a rule, inflammation of the appendix passes all the steps described earlier in just 48 hours. Acute inflammation of appendicitis is a dangerous disease that cannot be delayed.
At the first sign, it is urgent to visit a surgeon. If the disease has reached the phlegmonous stage, the risk of complications increases.
Pain as the first signal
Highlighting signs of inflammation of appendicitis, pain is primarily mentioned. She appears in the area near the navel. It feels like dull, does not pass with time, constant. Sometimes the stomach hurts from above, until about the middle. Less commonly, painful sensations cover the abdomen completely. Sometimes pain is felt on the right in the iliac region.
The intensification of unpleasant sensations occurs when a person walks, bends. Pursue a sharp discomfort with coughing and laughing. It is very painful to sneeze. But the elderly are characterized by the absence of pain.
Please note that with an atypical location of the appendix, pain can be felt in an unpredictable place. Sometimes it hurts on the right under the ribs, near the pubis or in the area of the kidneys, ureters. Pain can be heard in the hips or lower back. In some cases, it is noted that pain is felt in the external genitalia. An undefined area on the left side of the body may hurt.
A few hours after the initial appearance of the pain syndrome, sensations shift towards the appendix. These signs of inflammation of appendicitis in women are very important: if you suddenly ceased to feel pain, there is a high probability of the disease becoming gangrenous, which is associated with the death of nerve endings in the affected area. You can’t pull it: you need to urgently call a doctor!
Nausea and vomiting are also appendicitis
Particular signs of appendicitis inflammation in adult men and women are vomiting and nausea that accompany pain. Please note: before the onset of pain, such sensations are not observed. If at first there was nausea, and only then pain came, there is a chance that the matter is not in the inflamed appendix, but in another pathology, which the doctor will definitely be able to diagnose.
You should also know that in most cases, vomiting occurs only once. Why is this characteristic of appendicitis inflammation? Symptoms in adults suggest that this is a reflex rejection of toxins by the body.
Tongue and temperature
Typical symptoms of appendicitis in women and men include language changes. At the onset of the disease, it is usually wet and covered with a thin white coating. With the progression of appendicitis, the tongue becomes dry. This shows that peritoneal inflammation has begun.
Temperature usually rises slightly. How to determine the inflammation of appendicitis, focusing on it? Remember that patients usually have a temperature of 37 to 38 degrees. It persists for a long time without changes. In rare cases, a rise above 38 degrees is recorded. But if the body temperature has risen even higher, it is safe to say that the inflammatory process is progressing in earnest.
What else to look for?
The characteristic signs of inflammation of appendicitis that make it possible to suspect the disease include stool, although this is more typical of older people. Constipation is noted. If the appendix is near loops of the small intestine, there is a high chance of diarrhea. For this reason, cases of erroneous hospitalization of a patient in infectious departments are not uncommon.
Due to the serious condition of the body, sleep is disturbed. General discomfort greatly affects a person’s sensation of his body, pursues a state of fatigue, lethargy, indifference.
The appetite in acute appendicitis usually disappears completely.
Chronic form
Statistics show that this form develops very rarely, not more often than in one percent of all cases of inflammation of the appendix. Inflammation after appendicitis is manifested by soreness on the right in the iliac region. Feeling dumb. The localization of pain is true for a typically located organ.
How to determine the inflammation of appendicitis, if the disease has become chronic? There is only one option: visit a doctor who will conduct a full range of diagnostics. Typically, the study includes:
- Ultrasound
- laparoscopy
- tomography.
Easy to mix up
Chronic appendicitis in its manifestations is close to a number of diseases, including:
- pyelonephritis;
- ulcer;
- chronic form of cholecystitis.
Chronic inflammation of appendicitis can be suspected if you regularly suffer from soreness, which increases when a person moves his body (bends, turns). When the disease worsens, the temperature rises slightly, the general manifestations are similar to the acute form.
What is dangerous?
Chronic appendicitis is dangerous primarily because it can cause peritonitis. If you suspect a disease, you must urgently visit a doctor to evaluate exactly how difficult the patient's condition is.
In general, practice shows that timely treatment to the doctor saves people lives. Pulling up with an ambulance call, you can, at best, “reward” yourself with very unpleasant moments of sharp pain, and in the worst, a fatal outcome.
That also happens!
One of the most famous cases of appendicitis treatment in modern medicine occurred at the Soviet station in Antarctica, where doctor Leonid Rogozov was among the permanent staff . During his stay at the station, for obvious symptoms, the specialist diagnosed acute inflammation of appendicitis.
First, there were attempts to apply conservative methods of treatment: resorted to ice, antibiotics and fasting. But this practice has not shown results. There were no other doctors at the station at that time. The doctor decided to independently perform the operation on himself and immediately proceeded to this.
During the operation, the mechanical engineer of the research station held a mirror, a meteorologist was involved - he served tools. The doctor operated on himself for almost two hours. The result was successful. Just a week later, the doctor was able to perform his regular functions again. An example of this operation is one of the most famous in our world, demonstrating human courage and willingness to deal with any difficulties.
And what if in ordinary life?
Of course, the stories of incidents at the Arctic stations are curious to everyone and everyone, but in ordinary life, in everyday life, everything is much simpler. With signs of appendicitis, there is no need to show miracles of courage and become a hero, you just need to take timely medical help. Who should I contact if there is a suspicion of appendicitis?
First call an ambulance. As a rule, by the time a person realizes that he needs the help of a doctor, it’s too late to go to the clinic himself - the pain accompanying each movement, and even a slight cough, is too strong. Turning to emergency medical services, the patient quickly, already in his bed at home, receives the initial diagnosis.
The next step is a patient examination by a therapist in a hospital setting. Here, under the supervision of an anesthesiologist, an accurate diagnosis will be made and it will be determined what stage of the disease is and what measures need to be taken. In some cases, the inflammation of the appendix is accompanied by severe pathologies that develop against the background of the disease of the appendix. Then you have to involve specialized doctors in the treatment. The most complex cases of inflammation of the appendix, accompanied by:
- a recent heart attack;
- decompensated diabetes.
Children are a special occasion.
As a rule, diagnosing appendix inflammation in young children is characterized by increased complexity. The child cannot explain clearly and clearly what exactly it hurts and where. In some cases, inflammation develops at such an early age that the baby still does not even know how to speak. How to suspect a disease in this case?
Usually, with the development of the appendix, a small child cries a lot, worries, as if demonstrating a stomach to others. But if adults try to touch, he protests and only cries and screams even louder. The disease develops gradually, the symptoms increase over time.
During the day, the sick child squats and bursts into tears without any prerequisites. At night, children often wake up from a pain syndrome. The development of the disease manifests itself by vomiting and nausea. If in adults this is a one-time phenomenon, then in young children it is repeated many times. Doctors say that this is a reflex reaction of the body to toxins, the release of which accompanies the inflammatory process.
Elderly people have their own characteristics
As for older people, their inflammation of the appendicitis proceeds with a number of characteristic features that complicate the diagnosis of the disease. First of all, it is a weak pain syndrome, which is often absent altogether. Because of this, the determination of appendicitis occurs with a significant delay.
You can suspect something was wrong by the missing appetite and tension characteristic of the muscles on the right in the iliac region. You can feel this by palpating a part of the body. However, it is not recommended to examine the body on your own, as you can harm yourself. Also, elderly people observe various atypical manifestations of appendicitis, which science has so far not been able to systematize. Therefore, it is recommended to visit a doctor with any doubtful signs, undergo a test and a full range of studies. This will determine if the appendix is inflamed, as well as identify concomitant pathologies.