Appendicitis Symptoms

The main symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain. The pain is at first diffuse and poorly localized, so it seems to the patient that the whole abdomen hurts. It is so difficult to specify the pain localization that being asked to point the area of pain most people indicate its location with a circular motion of their hand around the central part of abdomen. However in 5-6 hours the pain is concentrated in the right iliac region. Appendix anatomical localization is different in different people, these are the structural features of the body, and localization of pain depends on its position. If appendix position is normal, pain is localized in the right iliac region, if the appendix is high, a patients feel pain in right abdomen almost under the ribs, if the appendix is bent back, the patient feels pain in the lumbar region, and if the appendix hangs down, it hurts in the pelvic region and over the pubis.

As appendiceal inflammation increases, it extends through the appendix wall to its outer covering and then to the lining of the abdomen, a thin membrane the peritoneum. Once the peritoneum becomes inflamed, the pain changes and then can be localized clearly to one small area. If the appendix ruptures and infection spreads throughout the abdomen, the pain becomes diffuse again as the entire lining of the abdomen gets suffered from inflammation.

Nausea and vomiting are also typical appendicitis symptoms, which can be caused by intestinal obstruction, and sometimes diarrhea, if the inflamed appendage cause fluid accumulation in the intestine. In addition, the usual appendicitis symptom is increasing temperature that is a body response to inflammation. On the other hand, absence of fever does not exclude appendicitis, since as a matter of fact this disease can proceed without fever. The tongue is often covered with white fur. The body position is forced as the patient tries to find the least painful position: some relief is often felt while lying on the right side or on the back. Any spontaneous muscle tension such as laughter or coughing dramatically increases the pain. If you are familiar with the anatomy, you can try to gently palpate the patient’s abdomen: muscles of right lower abdomen will be strained and the patient will feel pain during palpation. At this stage you should call an ambulance and hospitalize patient as soon as possible.