What are the early symptoms, causes and pain location of appendicitis?
Appendicitis is common in adolescents and young adults but can occur in any age group. In most of the cases, appendicitis is associated with overt luminal obstruction by a small pebble-like body of stool called fecalith. Other causes include gallstones, tumor, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), trauma to abdominal wall and traces of worms. Appendicitis is often confused with other medical conditions therefore it is necessary to observe the symptoms closely. The symptoms of appendicitis include - Paraumbilical pain - Nausea - Vomiting - Low-grade fever - Mildly elevated peripheral WBC count - McBurney’s sign - Constipation / Diarrhea - Flushed face usually because of pain - No release of gas causing flatulence The pain of appendicitis is mainly in the right iliac quadrant of abdominal cavity. The pain and tenderness of appendicitis is maximum at McBurney’s point. This point lies at the junction of medial 2/3 and lateral 1/3 of the line joining the right anterior superior iliac spine and umbilicus.
Appendix inflammation pain is felt on MacBurney’s point. Pain is the earliest symptom and pain can worsen on walking and coughing.
