Pediatric surgeon Ksenia Utkina said that the main symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain. Usually it is aching, constant and clearly marked, that is, it has a permanent localization.
Children often cannot clearly tell and show what hurts. Any abdominal pain in a child requires seeing a doctor, Utkina emphasized.
When it comes to children, diagnosis can become more complicated, since it is not abdominal pain that comes to the fore, but other symptoms.
Unobvious symptoms of appendicitis in young children:
- weakness,
- lethargy,
- decreased appetite
- the child may take a forced position when moving or lying down (protect the affected side),
- nausea and vomiting against the background of inflammatory intoxication.
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Cases where the appendix is especially difficult is located atypically (“low” – in the pelvic cavity, “high” – under the liver, and so on.
“In addition, abdominal pain can be a symptom of other surgical diseases, such as intussusception, diverticulitis, intestinal obstruction, foreign bodies in the abdominal cavity, acute gynecological diseases in girls and others,” the expert warned.
With appendicitis, the appendix, an extension of the intestine, becomes inflamed. It can be provoked by various reasons – from a fecal stone or a fruit stone that has entered the lumen of the appendix, to vasospasm.
Classic signs of appendicitis:
1. Pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. The pain usually starts around the belly button and then moves to the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. It can be sharp and intense.
2. Loss of appetite, nausea.
3. Vomiting can be one of the symptoms of appendicitis, especially if accompanied by abdominal pain.
4. Fever.
5. Tenderness: When pressing on the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, tenderness or discomfort may occur.
6. Change in stool: diarrhea or constipation.
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Important! Information is provided for reference purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and do not self-medicate under any circumstances. At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor.