Appendicitis: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Appendicitis is acute inflammation of the appendix, a small tubular pouch attached to the start of the large intestine in the lower right part of the abdomen. The inflammation often occurs when the appendix's cavity becomes blocked (by hardened stool or enlarged lymphoid tissue), leading to bacterial growth, swelling of the appendix, and its filling with pus. Appendicitis is among the most common abdominal surgical emergencies and can affect any age but is most common between ten and thirty.

Symptoms usually develop over hours and typically begin with vague pain around the navel or in the upper abdomen, then move and localize to the lower right abdomen and become sharper, increasing with movement, coughing, and pressure. It is often accompanied by loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and a mild fever. The typical picture does not always appear, especially in children, pregnant women, and the elderly, where the pain location may differ or symptoms be less clear, which may delay diagnosis.

Appendicitis is an emergency because the inflamed appendix may rupture within hours if left untreated, spreading pus in the abdominal cavity and causing peritonitis, a serious complication. Therefore, any abdominal pain localizing to the lower right side with nausea and fever requires urgent medical review. It is diagnosed by clinical examination, blood tests, and imaging (ultrasound or CT scan). The most common treatment is surgical removal of the appendix (often by laparoscopy), and the earlier it is, the lower the risk of complications. In some selected uncomplicated cases antibiotics may be tried, but the surgeon decides that. Recovery after laparoscopic surgery is usually fast.

• Pain beginning around the navel then moving to the lower right abdomen and becoming sharper.
• Pain increasing with movement, coughing, and pressure.
• Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
• Mild fever, and sometimes constipation or diarrhea.

• Blockage of the appendix cavity (by hardened stool or enlarged lymphoid tissue).
• Bacterial growth, swelling of the appendix, and its filling with pus.
• Sometimes infection or less common causes.

• Clinical abdominal examination (tenderness of the lower right side).
• Blood tests (elevated white blood cells).
• Ultrasound or CT imaging to confirm the diagnosis.

Surgery

• Removal of the appendix (often laparoscopic), the most common treatment, and the earlier it is, the lower the risk of complications.

Selected cases

• Antibiotics may be tried in selected uncomplicated cases by the surgeon's decision.

Recovery

• Recovery after laparoscopic surgery is usually fast with wound monitoring and gradual return to activity.

This content is educational and does not replace urgent medical evaluation.

• Rupture of the appendix and spread of pus (peritonitis) — serious.
• Formation of an abscess around the appendix.
• Delayed diagnosis increases the risk of complications.

• There is no proven prevention of appendicitis.
• Early medical review for localized abdominal pain prevents complications.
• Not ignoring pain or taking painkillers that mask symptoms before evaluation.