children s health issues
Appendicitis in Children
Prognosis for Appendicitis
With early treatment, the overall prognosis for children who have appendicitis is very good. If children are not treated until the appendix has ruptured, which occurs most commonly in children under 2 years of age, the prognosis is worse. Some children who have surgery for a ruptured appendix have complications. Some children develop complications even if their appendix did not rupture. If children are not treated, appendicitis rarely can go away on its own. Usually, however, untreated appendicitis progresses and causes peritonitis, an abdominal abscess, and sometimes death. Appendicitis is rarely fatal; death occurs in fewer than 1 in 1000 children. 