Acute appendicitis is a condition of infection and swelling of the appendix which presents as an emergency. It starts with vague pain the central part of the abdomen which later on shifts to the right lower quadrant at the site of the appendix. This pain is usually accompanied by nausea snd vomiting. There may be fever, poor appetite and loose stools also.
The infection in the appendix is caused by eating more of processed and fast food, parasitic infections , food allergies and sometimes because of blockage of the appendix by hard stool or fecolith. Rarely, it may be the symptom of an obstructing tumor.
The diagnosis of appendicitis is confirmed by clinical examination , blood tests and ultrasound of the abdomen. Sometimes , ultrasound may not pick up an inflamed appendix and in such cases , a CT scan of the abdomen gives a better picture of the diagnosis.
Acute appendicitis is considered a surgical emergency and requires treatment by operation. In most cases, the operation can be performed by the laparoscopic approach which means that there will be small key hole incisions without any big cut. The patient usually makes a rapid recovery and can be discharged the following day on a soft diet.