children s health issues
Appendicitis in Children
Symptoms of Appendicitis
In children who are 2 to 3 years old or older, the order in which symptoms appear is more important than any one symptom itself. The first symptom to develop is pain. Appendicitis almost always causes pain. The pain may start in the middle of the abdomen around the bellybutton and then move to the lower right area of the abdomen. However pain, particularly in infants and children, may be widespread rather than confined to the right lower portion of the abdomen. Younger children may be less able to identify a specific location for the pain and may be only very irritable or listless. After the pain has begun, many children develop nausea or vomiting and do not want to eat. Then the abdomen is tender when the doctor pushes on it, usually in the area over the appendix. A low-grade fever (100 to 101° F [37.7 to 38.3° C]) develops next and is a common symptom. Lastly, fever is followed by laboratory test results that show infection, such as a high white blood cell count. This order of symptoms is different from that in children who have Viruses , in whom vomiting typically occurs first, and pain and diarrhea develop later. Significant diarrhea is not common among children who have appendicitis. 