Appendicitis - Overview

Health & FitnessCancer / Illness

  • Author Genelia Mark
  • Published February 20, 2010
  • Word count 563

Appendicitis is considered to be a serious illness and the most efficient treatment at the time being involves medical surgery. Appendicitis is therefore a surgical emergency and it can be efficiently overcome only by removing the diseased appendix from the body.Appendicitis in general refers to obstruction of the vermiform appendix and internal bacterial infection. The appendix is a tubular extension of the large intestine and its function is thought to be related with the process of digestion.

The symptoms of appendicitis in people with special conditions are probably the most difficult to detect. While symptoms like fever, abdominal pain and bloating are common in most patients with acute appendicitis, some people with the illness only feel a general state of fatigue and discomfort.

Other signs of appendicitis are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, abdominal bloating, bad breath, fatigue and moderate fever.

The occurrence of appendicitis can be traced to an obstruction to the appendix and the appendix in turn suffering an internal bacterial infection. At times it might turn fatal when, the appendix deteriorates rapidly owing to the obstruction of blood vessels that transmit blood to the large intestines.

Surgical removal of the appendix (appendectomy) as soon as possible, unless the doctor feels a mass on the outside.If mass is felt on the outside, patients are treated with IV antibiotics and fluids, and appendectomy is done when the patient is more stable.

The treatment of appendicitis is strictly surgical and resumes in the removal of the appendix and draining of a possible formed abscess. The operation is called appendectomy. Antibiotics must be administered before and after surgery to prevent a potential peritonitis.

The surgical treatment for appendicitis consists of a procedure called appendectomy. In uncomplicated forms of appendicitis, appendectomy is a simple surgical intervention.

Hot compresses may be placed over the painful area several times daily. Abdominal packs,made of a strip of wet sheet covered by a dry flannel cloth bound tightly around the abdomen,should be applied continuously until all acute symptoms subside.

The method of appendectomy by which the appendix is removed from the body, is the most widely used treatment of appendicitis. In case a timely extraction of the appendix is not undertaken, it leads to an enlargement and a bacterial infection of the appendix, leading to grave complications internally.

The most helpful radiological investigation in avoiding negative appendicectomy seems to be computerized tomography. It reveals differential diagnosis and other possible abdominal pathology and offers more clear images of the explored area. More recent studies have verified the hypothesis that CT-scan reduces the risk of a false appendicitis diagnosis.

Appendectomy is still given the first preference when it comes to the cure of acute appendicitis, in spite of current technological breakthrough and the availability of varied forms of medication.

Some extracts of vegetables are effective in treating appendicitis. These extracts include extracts from cucumbers, beets and carrot. In order to avoid your appendix to become a dumping place for surplus of intestinal waste and mucous, you should have tea made up from the seeds of fenugreek. If the patient has constipation problems then he should take necessary actions to prevent it.

The general suggestions of the doctor may be: follow a diet, using the mild laxative for the first few days, drinking water, avoiding lifting heavy objects and stair climbing and regular gentle exercises.

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