children s health issues
Appendicitis in Children
Introduction
Appendicitis is inflammation and infection of the appendix (a thin tube of tissue that is connected to the intestines). Appendicitis seems to develop when the appendix becomes blocked either by hard fecal material (called a fecalith) or swollen lymph nodes in the intestine that can occur with various infections. Pain typically starts around the bellybutton (umbilicus) and then moves to the right lower abdomen but may be felt throughout the abdomen. Children may have nausea and vomiting and be irritable or listless. Diagnosis is challenging and requires a physical examination, blood tests, and usually an imaging study (such as ultrasonography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging) or laparoscopy. An inflamed appendix is usually removed surgically, and if an infected appendix bursts (ruptures), antibiotics and more extensive surgery are needed. (For adults, see Appendicitis .) The appendix is a small tube of tissue that is part the of intestines. It is about the length of a finger and is located where the small intestine ends and the large intestine begins. The appendix does not seem to have any essential bodily function. Appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix) is a medical emergency because it can cause a life-threatening infection. The goal is to detect and treat appendicitis early, before a serious infection occurs. This disorder is rare in children younger than 1 year but becomes more common as children grow older and is most common among adolescents and adults in their 20s. However, appendicitis may occur at any age. Appendicitis seems to develop when the appendix becomes blocked either by hard fecal material (fecalith) or swollen lymph nodes in the intestine, which can occur with various infections. In either case, the appendix swells, and bacteria in it grow. Occasionally, swallowed Bezoars , infections with certain parasitic worms (such as 