Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Since the late s, doctors have turned to surgery to treat appendicitis, even though an inflamed appendix sometimes gets better on its own.
A new report suggests that trying intravenous antibiotics first works as well as surgery for some people. The appendix is a small pouch that hangs off the large intestine. It usually sits in the lower abdomen just above the right hip bone. No one really knows what the appendix does, if anything. It may be a holdover from our evolutionary past.
It may also harbor beneficial bacteria, or be involved in fetal development or the immune system. No matter what its role, the appendix can become inflamed. This condition, known as appendicitis, is one of the most common causes of severe abdominal pain. If an inflamed appendix breaks open and spills bacteria into the abdomen, it can trigger peritonitis, a potentially dangerous infection of the tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen and covers most of the abdominal organs.
To see how well this works, researchers from Nottingham University Hospitals in England compiled the results of four randomized clinical trials that compared antibiotics and surgery for uncomplicated appendicitis. Andrew L. Warshaw, surgeon-in-chief emeritus at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. For older people, those with other health problems, and those at high risk for developing peritonitis, surgery first may be a safer option.
It would also be important to tally up the total costs of giving antibiotics and performing surgery, including the cost of treating complications and the cost of rehospitalization. For now, most doctors will probably continue to recommend surgery to treat an inflamed appendix. The complications of appendicitis can be life-threatening. A ruptured appendix can spread an infection throughout your body. Learn more: Emergency signs and symptoms of appendicitis ».
Chronic appendicitis is different from acute appendicitis. The symptoms of chronic appendicitis tend to be milder. Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of this condition. Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix.
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A ruptured appendix can make you very sick, but fortunately, treatment is…. The dorsal tarsometatarsal ligament is located in the foot. It provides connections among the bones of the feet. The metatarsals are the long bones of…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Graham Rogers, M. The blockage of the outlet of your appendix is the main cause of appendicitis. Blockages, and the consequent inflammation and infection they cause, can happen for a variety of reasons including the following:.
Whatever the cause of the blockage or damage to your appendix, it is the subsequent infection that results that is medically concerning. Getting an infection in any organ in your abdomen can be serious, but the appendix has a particular tendency to swell and burst, spreading the infection throughout your abdominal cavity.
An infection in your abdomen can rapidly become life-threatening, which is why appendicitis is taken very seriously by doctors. Make no mistake: acute appendicitis is a medical emergency. A ruptured appendix can quickly lead to a life-threatening infection in your abdominal cavity and requires immediate medical treatment.
It is possible that some smaller infections that are caught early enough can be addressed with antibiotics alone, but in many cases you will need to have your appendix surgically removed. Though surgeons are usually hesitant to perform rushed abdominal surgeries, an appendectomy, or the removal of the appendix, is something of an exception.
Given the severity of infections that can follow appendix ruptures, doctors will typically take a more aggressive approach to treatment. It is possible for some cases of appendicitis to resolve without treatment, but if you suspect you are having issues with your appendix, it is far wiser to consult with your health care provider rather than waiting things out in the hope it will get better on its own.
It is possible to develop peritonitis, or the infection of the tissues surrounding your appendix and intestines, which can be fatal. It is also possible that an untreated case of appendicitis can create scarring as your body tries to fight the infection and resulting long-term inflammation associated with an abscess in your appendix.
The only way to know for certain if you have appendicitis is by going to see your doctor. You will first be asked to provide any relevant health information and then undergo a physical examination. Symptoms such as a sudden lack of appetite, swelling or tenderness in the lower-right side of the abdomen, and the presence of nausea or vomiting are some of the more common indications you may have appendicitis.
It is common for blood tests to be used in identifying different medical conditions, but this is not the case with appendicitis as there are no unique markers in your blood that indicate issues with your appendix. Your doctor will likely still order blood work to see if you have an elevated white blood cell count.
This only confirms that you have some kind of infection in your body, but does not indicate which tissues might be involved. Urinalysis and imaging of the abdomen are sometimes needed to rule out other conditions such as urinary tract infections or kidney stones. One of the challenges in treating appendicitis is that the pain associated with an inflamed appendix is not well localized.
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