Annette

Signs and symptoms of appendicitis may include:

• Aching pain that begins around your navel and often shifts to your lower right abdomen
  
• Pain that becomes sharper over several hours
• Tenderness that occurs when you apply pressure to your lower right abdomen
• Sharp pain in your lower right abdomen that occurs when the area is pressed on and then the pressure is quickly released (rebound tenderness)
• Pain that worsens if you cough, walk or make other jarring movements
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Low-grade fever
• Constipation
• Inability to pass gas
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal swelling

The location of your pain may vary, depending on your age and the position of your appendix. Young children or pregnant women, especially, may have appendicitis pain in different places.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with a doctor if you or your child experiences signs or symptoms that worry you. Abdominal pain so severe that you are unable to sit still or find a comfortable position requires immediate medical attention.

The cause of appendicitis isn't always clear. Sometimes appendicitis can occur as a result of:

• An obstruction. Food waste or a hard piece of stool (fecal stone) can block the opening of the cavity that runs the length of your appendix.
• An infection. Appendicitis may also follow an infection, such as a gastrointestinal viral infection, or it may result from other types of inflammation.

In both cases, bacteria inside the appendix multiply rapidly, causing the appendix to become inflamed, swollen and filled with pus. If not treated promptly, the appendix can rupture.

• A ruptured appendix. If your appendix ruptures, the contents of your intestines and infectious organisms can leak into your abdominal cavity. This can cause an infection of your abdominal cavity (peritonitis).
• A pocket of pus that forms in the abdomen. If your appendix has burst, infection and the seepage of intestinal contents may form an abscess — a pocket of infection (appendiceal abscess) around the appendix. Appendiceal abscess requires treatment before the abscess tears, causing a more widespread infection of the abdominal cavity.