Inflammation of appendicitis is a process that affects the appendix. This element belongs to the caecum and is referred to in medicine as the "appendix". The symptoms of the disease vary somewhat, it is determined by the form and individual characteristics of the patient. Allocate chronic and acute inflammation of appendicitis in children and adults. The first option in the last 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.
Sharp shape
With this type of disease, there are several stages. One stage eventually passes into another, if there was no intervention from the doctors. Talking about:
- Catarrhal stage. Inflammation of the appendicitis at this stage usually affects only the mucosa of the appendix.
- Surface shape. In this case, progress is observed relative to catarrhal, which leads to damage to the mucous membrane of the organ. By examining the lumen of the process, you can see leukocytes and blood.
- Phlegmonous stage. It is characterized by inflammation that affects all layers of the tissues of the body. Destructive processes affected, includingouter shell of the appendix.
- Phlegmonous-ulcerative. This form is characterized by ulceration of the mucosal surface 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, causing the contents of the appendix to pour into the abdominal cavity, which provokes peritonitis. With the development of appendicitis to this stage, the probability of death is high.
Time is short
As a rule, inflammation of the appendix goes through all the steps described earlier in just 48 hours. Acute inflammation of appendicitis is a dangerous disease that cannot wait.
At the first sign, you need to urgently 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 mentioned first of all. It appears in the area near the navel. Feels dull, does not go away with time, constant. Sometimes the stomach hurts from above, approximately to the middle. Less often, painful sensations cover the abdomen completely. Sometimes pain is felt on the right in the iliac region.
Intensification of unpleasant sensations occurs when a person walks, bends over. Pursued by sharp discomfort when coughing and laughing. It hurts a lot to sneeze. But the elderly tend to lack pain.
Please note that with an atypical location of the appendix, pain may be felt in an unpredictable place. Sometimes it hurts right underribs, near the pubis or in the region of the kidneys, ureters. Pain may radiate to 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 stop feeling pain, there is a high probability that the disease will go into a gangrenous form, which is associated with the death of nerve endings in the affected area. You can’t pull: you need to urgently call a doctor!
Sickening and vomiting is also appendicitis
Private signs of inflammation of appendicitis in adult men and women are vomiting and nausea accompanying pain. Please note: before the onset of pain, such sensations are not observed. If nausea first appeared, and only then the pain came, there is a possibility that it is not an inflamed appendix, but 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 inflammation of appendicitis? Symptoms in adults suggest that this is a reflex rejection of toxins by the body.
Language and temperature
Characteristic symptoms of inflammation of appendicitis in women and men include language changes. At the onset of illnessit is usually moist and covered with a thin white coating. As appendicitis progresses, the tongue becomes dry. This shows that inflammation of the peritoneum has begun.
The 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 remains unchanged for a long time. 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 out for?
Characteristic signs of inflammation of appendicitis, suggestive of the disease, include stools, although this is more typical for older people. Constipation noted. If the appendix is near loops of the small intestine, diarrhea is more likely. For this reason, cases of erroneous hospitalization of a patient in infectious diseases departments are not uncommon.
Due to the serious condition of the body, sleep is disturbed. General discomfort greatly affects a person's feeling of his body, pursues a state of fatigue, lethargy, indifference.
Appetite in acute appendicitis usually disappears completely.
Chronic form
Statistics show that this form develops very rarely, no more than one percent of all cases of inflammation of the appendix. Inflammation after appendicitis is manifested by pain on the right in the iliac region. Feelings are dull. Pain localizationvalid 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. Usually research includes:
- ultrasound;
- laparoscopy;
- tomography.
Easy to confuse
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 that increases when a person moves the 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 a disease is suspected, an urgent visit to the doctor is necessary to assess exactly how serious the patient's condition is.
In general, practice shows that it is the timely visit to the doctor that saves people's lives. By tightening up with an ambulance call, at best, you can "reward" yourself with very unpleasant moments of sharp pain, at worst, a fatal outcome awaits.
And so it happens
One of the most famous cases of appendicitis treatment in modern medicine occurred at a Soviet station in Antarctica, where doctor Leonid Rogozov was among the permanent staff. ATDuring the period of stay at the station, due to obvious symptoms, the specialist diagnosed himself with inflammation of appendicitis in an acute form.
First there were attempts to apply conservative methods of treatment: they resorted to ice, antibiotics and fasting. But this practice did not show results. There were no other doctors at the station at the time. The doctor decided to perform the operation on himself and immediately began to do so.
During the operation, the mechanical engineer of the research station held a mirror, a meteorologist was involved - he gave tools. The doctor operated on himself for almost two hours. The result was successful. Just a week later, the physician was able to perform his regular functions again. The example of this operation is one of the most famous in our world, demonstrating human courage and willingness to fight any difficulties.
And if in ordinary life?
Of course, stories about incidents at the Arctic stations are curious to 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 use medical help in a timely manner. Who to contact if appendicitis is suspected?
Call an ambulance first. As a rule, by the time a person realizes that he needs the help of a doctor, it is already too late to go to the clinic himself - the pain that accompanies every movement is too strong, and even a slight cough. Calling for an ambulancemedical care, the patient quickly, already in his bed at home, receives a primary diagnosis.
The next step is the examination of the patient 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 the stage of the disease is and what measures need to be taken. In some cases, inflammation of the appendix is accompanied by severe pathologies that develop against the background of the appendix disease. Then you will have to involve specialized doctors in the treatment. The most difficult cases of inflammation of the appendix, accompanied by:
- recent heart attack;
- decompensated diabetes.
Children are a special occasion
As a rule, diagnosing inflammation of the appendix in young children is more difficult. The child cannot explain clearly and distinctly what exactly hurts him and where. In some cases, inflammation develops at such an early age that the baby does not even know how to speak. How to suspect the disease in this case?
Usually, with the development of the appendix, a small child cries a lot, worries, as if showing his 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, a sick child squats down and bursts into crying without any prerequisites. At night, children often wake up from pain. Development of the diseasepresents with 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.
The elderly have their own characteristics
As for older people, their inflammation of appendicitis occurs 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 definition of appendicitis occurs with a significant delay.
You can suspect something was wrong by the missing appetite and tension inherent in the muscles on the right, in the iliac region. You can feel it by palpation of a part of the body. However, it is not recommended to examine the body on your own, as you can harm yourself. Also, in the elderly, various atypical manifestations of appendicitis are observed, which science has not yet been able to systematize. Therefore, it is recommended to visit a doctor for any doubtful signs, to undergo an examination and a full range of studies. This will determine whether the appendix has become inflamed, as well as identify comorbidities.
