Appendicitis Signs

Appendicitis signs are the sort of thing that people tend to ignore, mistaking it for stomach aches or cramps. If you've had prolonged pain attacks where your appendix is located, it's time you consulted a doctor...

Appendicitis signs are easy to spot and can be treated on time if you stop ignoring the symptoms. You will grasp the meaning of this condition as we delve deeper into the subject, that affects those in the age group of 11 - early/late 20s. Appendicitis in children is common; infants can also get it, but this is known to be a rare possibility. It is hereditary, with the males in the family having a higher chance of getting it. Appendicitis is when the appendix swells up, due to an infection. It is a finger-like sack connected to the large intestine, which is located in the bottom right side of your abdomen. Mucus secreted by the appendix moves through the inside, which is the appendiceal lumen, which empties this secretion into the large intestine.

Reasons for appendicitis taking place could be because of a blockage (parasites, abnormal growth causing obstruction or feces), which in turn causes the appendix to swell up, infecting it with bacteria. Another reason is by an enlarged lymph tissue of the appendix wall, that is the result of gastrointestinal tract infection. Other appendicitis causes can be trauma to the abdomen area, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and so on. If not treated in time it can lead to peritonitis, which is a dangerous condition of the abdomen, when the appendix inflammation erupts.

Signs and Symptoms of Appendicitis

Appendicitis symptoms or signs of appendicitis, is key to notice and catch at its earliest stage. The symptoms can comprise of the following.

* Appendicitis pain starts at the belly button, moving to the lower right of the abdomen. It's an unusual feeling and unlike any other ordinary kind of pain. The pain tends to come in the night time.
* The pain escalates within a span of a couple of hours.
* When taking deep breaths or sneezing/coughing, it tends to get worse.
* There is a loss of appetite.
* Later symptoms include constipation, vomiting and even diarrhea.
* Difficulty passing gas.
* Stomach starts to swell up.
* Nausea is common along with mild fever.
* The inflamed appendix causes one to feel like urinating often, as the inflammation irritates the bladder.
* When a doctor tries to move around your hip, there is a sharp pain from where your appendix lies, this is known as the Psoas sign.
* When there is pain around the belly button area to the tip of the waist bone (McBurney's point), this is because of the inflamed appendix.
* When the doctor examines you, by placing his hand and applying pressure to your left side of the abdomen, but the right side starts to hurt, this is known as the Rovsign sign.

All these symptoms tend to add up to appendicitis warning signs, which cannot be ignored on any grounds. There are ways that one can identify the early signs of appendicitis. These can be as follows. There are two appendicitis symptoms to decipher the pain that you are experiencing, one is obturator sign and guarding sign.

Obturator Sign
When you bend your right hip by rotating it internally, pain rapidly spreads in the lower abdomen area to the right. This proves that the appendix has sufficient swelling, which adds to appendicitis signs.

Guarding
The abdominal walls turn rigid when the doctor examines it. There are two kinds of guarding - voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary guarding is when the patient contracts his/her muscles reflexively causing the walls of the abdomen to tighten, preventing the doctor to apply more pressure. Involuntary guarding is when the patient has no control over the spasm of the muscles in the abdominal wall. It remains rigid and doesn't move in rhythm to one's breathing. This indicates a punctured appendix.

Appendicitis signs, if paid close attention to, can be easily spotted and accordingly diagnosed. Like I always say, make it a point to check your family history for past illnesses/ailments, as these can be hereditary in nature. Prolonged delay of a check up can simply take your condition from a not so problematic stage to a quite dangerous one. Get yourself and others checked if they too complain of similar pains; the earlier the better.