Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
The main symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain. Symptoms of appendicitis
may take 4-48 hours to develop. Other symptoms include:
loss of appetite,
nausea,
vomiting,
lack of appetite, and
fever.
Appendicitis facts
The appendix is a small, worm-like appendage attached
to the colon.
Appendicitis occurs when bacteria invade and infect
the wall of the appendix.
The most common complications of appendicitis are
abscess and peritonitis.
The most common symptoms of appendicitis are
abdominal pain, loss of
appetite, nausea and vomiting, fever, and abdominal
tenderness.
Appendicitis usually is suspected on the basis of a
patient's history and physical examination; however, a white blood cell count,
urinalysis, abdominal X-ray, barium enema, ultrasonography,
CT scan, and
laparoscopy also may be helpful in diagnosis.
Due to the varying size and location of the appendix
and the proximity of other organs to the appendix, it may be difficult to
differentiate appendicitis from other abdominal and pelvic diseases.
The treatment for appendicitis usually is antibiotics
and appendectomy (appendectomy or surgery to remove the appendix).
Complications of appendectomy include wound infection and abscess.
Other conditions that can mimic appendicitis include Meckel's
diverticulitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), inflammatory diseases of the
right upper abdomen (gallbladder disease, liver disease, or perforated duodenal
ulcer), right-sided diverticulitis, and kidney diseases.
What is the appendix?
The appendix is a
closed-ended, narrow tube up to several inches in
length that attaches to the cecum (the
first part of the colon) like a worm. (The anatomical name for the appendix,
vermiform appendix, means worm-like appendage.) The open central core of the
appendix drains into the cecum. The inner lining of the appendix
produces a small amount of mucus that flows
through the open central core of the
appendix and into the cecum. The wall of the appendix contains lymphatic tissue
that is part of the
immune system for
making antibodies. Like the rest of the colon,
the wall of the appendix also contains a layer of muscle, but the layer of muscle is poorly
developed.
What is appendicitis and what causes appendicitis?
Appendicitis means inflammation of the appendix. It is thought that appendicitis
begins when the opening from the appendix into the cecum becomes blocked. The
blockage may be due to a build-up of thick mucus within the appendix or to stool that
enters the appendix from the cecum. The mucus or stool hardens, becomes
rock-like, and blocks the opening. This rock is called a fecalith (literally, a
rock of stool). At other times, it might be that the lymphatic tissue in
the appendix
swells and blocks the opening. After the blockage occurs, bacteria which normally are found within the appendix begin
to invade (infect) the wall of the appendix. The body responds to the invasion by
mounting an attack on the bacteria, an attack called inflammation. An alternative
theory for the cause of appendicitis is an initial rupture of the appendix
followed by spread of bacteria outside of the appendix. The cause of such a
rupture is unclear, but it may relate to changes that occur in the lymphatic tissue,
for example, inflammation, that lines the wall of the appendix.)
If the inflammation and infection spread through the wall of the appendix,
the appendix can rupture. After rupture, infection can spread throughout the
abdomen; however, it usually is
confined to a small area surrounding the appendix (forming a peri-appendiceal
abscess).
Sometimes, the body is successful in containing
("healing") the appendicitis without surgical treatment if the infection and
accompanying inflammation do not spread throughout the abdomen. The
inflammation, pain and symptoms may disappear. This is particularly true in
elderly patients and when antibiotics are used. The patients then may come to
the doctor long after the
episode of appendicitis with a lump or a mass in the right lower abdomen that is
due to the scarring that occurs during healing. This lump might raise the
suspicion of cancer.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Night sweats are severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. In order to distinguish night sweats that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's surroundings are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are not related to an overheated environment.
Medical shock is a life-threatening medical condition. There are several types of medical shock, septic shock, anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock, and neurogenic shock. Causes of shock include heart attack, heart failure, heavy bleeding (internal and external), infection, anaphylaxis, spinal cord injury, severe burns, chronic vomiting or diarrhea. Low blood pressure is the key sign of sock. Treatment is dependant upon the type of shock.
Abdominal adhesions (scar tissue) bands of scar tissue that form between abdominal organs and tissues. Symptoms of abdominal adhesions are pelvic or abdominal pain. Abdominal adhesions on the intestines can cause bowel obstruction, which is a medical emergency. Treatment for abdominal adhesions is generally surgery to cut the adhesions away from the internal tissues and organs. There is no way to prevent abdominal adhesions.
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
Doctors in primary care fields
of medicine often hear their patients complain of night
sweats as they are common. Night sweats refer to any excess sweating occurring
during the night. However, if your bedroom is unusually hot or you are using too
many bedclothes, you may begin to sweat during sleep - and this is normal. In order to distinguish
night sweats that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's
surroundings are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as
severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are
not related to an overheated environment.
In one study of 2267 patients visiting a primary care physician, 41% reported
experiencing night sweats during the previous month, so the perception of
excessive sweating at night is fairly common. It is important to note that
flushing (a warmth and redness of the face or trunk) may also be hard to
distinguish ...