From the Guidelines
Appendicitis typically presents with pain that begins around the navel and then shifts to the lower right abdomen, becoming more intense over several hours, and is a medical emergency requiring prompt evaluation. This pain often worsens with movement, coughing, or deep breathing. Other common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, low-grade fever (99-102°F), constipation or diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and the inability to pass gas. Many patients experience rebound tenderness, where pain increases when pressure on the abdomen is suddenly released. The classic progression occurs because inflammation initially irritates the area around the umbilicus before localizing to the appendix in the right lower quadrant.
Key Symptoms
- Pain that begins around the navel and then shifts to the lower right abdomen
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Low-grade fever
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Abdominal bloating
- Inability to pass gas
- Rebound tenderness If you experience these symptoms, especially worsening right lower abdominal pain, seek immediate medical attention as appendicitis can lead to appendix rupture, which causes peritonitis, a serious infection of the abdominal cavity. Diagnosis typically involves physical examination, blood tests to check for infection, and imaging studies like ultrasound or CT scan, as recommended by recent guidelines 1. Treatment almost always involves surgical removal of the appendix (appendectomy), with laparoscopic appendectomy being the most effective surgical treatment, associated with a lower incidence of wound infection and post-intervention morbidity, shorter hospital stay, and better quality of life scores when compared to open appendectomy (OA) 1.