Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain requiring surgery in the United States, according to the Merck Manual. The appendix is a small pouch of tissue found at the beginning of the large intestine; it often gets blocked by stool or foreign objects and becomes infected. Approximately 5 percent of people have appendicitis at some time; people of any age, including infants and the elderly, can develop appendicitis. The symptoms of appendicitis can vary, depending on the age of the person; removal of the appendix is the only cure.
Pain
Although the classic picture of a person with appendicitis shows him holding his right side, the pain of appendicitis usually starts out around the navel. After several hours, the pain shifts to the right lower quadrant of the abdomen; pain intensifies with movement, such as coughing or walking.
Medical personnel perform several tests to check for possible appendicitis. Pain can be elicited in the area of the infection if someone pushes down on the left lower quadrant of the abdomen; this is known as the Rovsing sign, the Merck Manual explains. Pain also intensified if the right lower quadrant of the abdomen is pushed in and then suddenly released; the Mayo Clinic states that this is called rebound tenderness. Psoas sign is an increase in pain when the right hip joint is extended. The obturator sign, where pain is increased by rotating the bent thigh toward the middle of the abdomen, may also indicate appendicitis. If the appendix ruptures, abdominal pain may briefly decrease and then intensify.
Fever and Malaise
People with appendicitis usually run a low-grade fever. They may have shaking and chills, which worsen if the appendix ruptures. Fever is caused by the increased number of white blood cells produced to fight the infection. People with appendicitis usually do not want to move and may prefer to lie still with their knees drawn up to their stomach.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Since the appendix is part of the gastrointestinal, or GI, tract, appendicitis causes many GI symptoms. Nausea and loss of appetite are often followed by vomiting. Constipation, diarrhea or difficulty passing gas can be signs of appendicitis, as well as abdominal distention.
Atypical Symptoms
Older people may have few signs of appendicitis, and the typical right lower quadrant pain may be absent. In small children and infants, the pain may not be localized to the right side, but instead the entire abdomen may be tender. It's important to seek medical help in these cases, because if the appendix ruptures, the person will become much more ill and the potential complications are more severe.
