Acute Appendicitis

Introduction: Acute Appendicitis

The main symptom of acute appendicitis is abdominal pain or abdominal sensitivity. However, abdominal pain occurs with many conditions and only an estimated 5% of cases of abdominal pain are actually appendicitis. Although uncommon, appendicitis is very serious, and difficulty in diagnosing appendicitis in the emergency department makes appendicitis the 3rd leading cause of malpractice lawsuits. Misdiagnosis of appendicitis is particularly common in children and infants with abdominal pain with estimates of initial misdiagnosis rates from 28% to 57% for under age 2-12 and almost 100% misdiagnosis for appendicitis in infants.

Symptoms of Acute Appendicitis

• Abdominal pain
  • Abdominal pain near navel - in earliest stages
  • Right-side abdominal pain - in later stages
  • Abdominal pain on activity
  • Abdominal pain on breathing

See full list of 18 symptoms of Acute Appendicitis

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Acute Appendicitis:

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Medical Textbooks Online about Acute Appendicitis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Acute Appendicitis

• Physical exam
• Blood tests
• CBC
• Urine tests

Read more about tests for Acute Appendicitis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Acute Appendicitis?

• Misdiagnosis of Acute Appendicitis
• Failure to diagnose Acute Appendicitis
• Underlying causes of Acute Appendicitis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Acute Appendicitis

Misdiagnosis and Acute Appendicitis

Mild worm infections undiagnosed in children: Human worm infestations, esp. threadworm, can be overlooked in some cases, because it may cause only mild or even absent symptoms. Although the most common...read more »

Undiagnosed acute appendicitis deadly in children: It is a sad reality that a child with acute appendicitis has a high likelihood of misdiagnosis. This misdiagnosis is a well-known cause of...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed ...read more »

Blood pressure cuffs misdiagnose hypertension in children: One known misdiagnosis issue with hyperension, arises in relation to the simple equipment used to test blood pressure. The "cuff" around the...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur...read more »

Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable...read more »

Not always a case of appendicitis: Pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen leads to numerous differential diagnoses in the mind of the doctor.Not all cases of right sided abdominal...read more »

Meckel's diverticulum: Meckel's diverticulum is one of the major causes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding in children.Meckel's diverticulum is a remnant of the omphalomesenteric duct and the condition occurs in children,young adults as...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Acute Appendicitis

Causes of Acute Appendicitis

Read more about causes of Acute Appendicitis.

More information about causes of Acute Appendicitis:

• Acute Appendicitis as a complication caused by other conditions
• Acute Appendicitis as a symptom

Treatments for Acute Appendicitis

• Emergency hospitalization
• Appendectomy - surgical removal of appendix
• Laparoscopic appendectomy - surgery using miniature instruments

Read more about treatments for Acute Appendicitis

Videos for Acute Appendicitis

Patient Surveys for Acute Appendicitis

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Acute Appendicitis
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Prognosis for Acute Appendicitis

More about prognosis of Acute Appendicitis

Reseach about Acute Appendicitis

Visit our research pages for current research about Acute Appendicitis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Acute Appendicitis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Acute Appendicitis include:

• A Study Comparing Safety and Efficacy of Levofloxacin and Metronidazole Versus Piperacillin/Tazobactam in Treating Complicated Appendicitis - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - levofloxacin; metronidazole
• Appendicitis With Medical Treatment - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Doripenem in the Treatment of Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Doripenem
• Doripenem in the Treatment of Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - doripenum
• Antibiotic Therapy Versus Appendectomy for Acute Appendicitis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - amoxicillin/clavulanate potassium

See full list of 9 Clinical Trials for Acute Appendicitis

Prevention of Acute Appendicitis

Prevention information for Acute Appendicitis has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Acute Appendicitis.

• High-fiber diet
• Avoid certain infections
• Breast feeding - extended breast feeding seems to reduce the risk of a child later getting appendicitis.

Read more about prevention of Acute Appendicitis

Statistics for Acute Appendicitis

• Medical statistics for Acute Appendicitis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Acute Appendicitis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Acute Appendicitis
• Society statistics for Acute Appendicitis

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Acute Appendicitis

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Acute Appendicitis

See all guides and ebooks for Acute Appendicitis

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Article Excerpts about Acute Appendicitis

Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix, a small portion of the large intestine that hangs down from the lower right side. Although the appendix does not seem to serve any purpose, it can still become diseased. If untreated, an inflamed appendix can burst, causing infection and even death. About 1 in 500 people has appendicitis each year.

Appendicitis may occur after a viral infection in the digestive tract or when the tube connecting the large intestine and appendix is blocked by trapped stool. The inflammation can cause infection, a blood clot, or rupture of the appendix. Because of the risk of rupture, appendicitis is considered an emergency. Anyone with symptoms needs to see a doctor immediately. (Source: excerpt from Appendicitis: NIDDK)

Definitions of Acute Appendicitis:

Acute inflammation of the APPENDIX. Acute appendicitis is classified as simple, gangrenous, or perforated. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Inflammation of the vermiform appendix - (Source - WordNet 2.1)