The appendix is located in the lower right abdomen and is prone to acute and chronic inflammation, known as appendicitis. According to a review article in the November 1999 issue of American Family Physician, the lifetime risk of appendicitis is 7 percent. Symptoms may occur at different times as the disease process unfolds. As with anything in medicine, not every person will experience the same progression of symptoms. Some will have such mild symptoms that the condition may initially go unrecognized until it becomes severe. Other conditions may mimic appendicitis symptoms, such as mesenteric lymphadenitis, diverticulitis and a number of gynecologic issues. If a diagnosis of appendicitis is made, surgery is standard treatment.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Abdominal pain is common and may be sharp and severe. Early in the disease, the pain may be periumbilical (located around the belly button), followed by migration of the pain to the right lower quadrant of the abdomen as the inflammatory process progresses. Because not everyone's appendix is located in exactly the same region in the abdomen, some may experience pain along their right sides or backs. Nausea and vomiting may accompany the pain or be the only symptoms. Rarely, diarrhea may occur. Anorexia, or loss of appetite, is common.
Systemic Complaints
As with any inflammatory process, fever, chills, malaise (a general feeling of being unwell) can occur. If the appendix ruptures and contents leak out into the rest of the abdomen, abdominal pain may improve because the appendix released the contents that had been under pressure inside it. Rupture carries with it the risk of sepsis, a life-threatening infection of the bloodstream.
Acute Abdomen Signs
Physicians are always on the lookout for signs of an acute abdomen. If your abdomen becomes firm and rigid, that is a foreboding sign. If simply coughing gives you excruciating abdominal pain, that is also cause for concern. These signs may foretell the need for urgent surgical intervention. Prompt surgical removal of the inflamed appendix may prevent it from rupturing.
Resolving Symptoms
Some symptoms may temporarily resolve if the appendix bursts and the body's defense mechanisms are able to wall off the leaked contents quickly. This walled off area of pus is known as an abscess. When that occurs, abdominal pain may improve slightly. A dull ache in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen, often worsened slightly with direct pressure or palpation, may remain. The condition still requires further surgical and medical intervention.
