Appendicitis

You'd think we would have evolved to not have useless, exploding organs anymore - Kaleigh Rogers

Appendicitis
Appendicitis

image by: Queclecumber (Quin)

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Some People With Appendicitis Can Be Treated With Pills, Not Surgery

If you develop appendicitis and your appendix is not surgically removed, it will burst and you will die. You probably learned this as a kid, and so did your parents and grandparents.

“This narrative, which I call ‘appendiphobia,’ has been cemented in medical lore for over 100 years,” says David Talan, a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “But it’s a myth.”

Talan is part of a research team conducting a $12-million clinical trial into the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments for appendicitis. While his trial is ongoing, he says we know enough today to recommend antibiotics—not surgery—to many appendicitis patients. “What you and your parents…

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 Some People With Appendicitis Can Be Treated With Pills, Not Surgery

New research suggests antibiotics may be a better option for most appendicitis patients.

Appendicitis eponymous signs

Authors eponymously associated with abdominal signs, symptoms, investigation and management of appendicitis.

eMedicineHealth

Appendicitis is the most common pediatric condition requiring emergency abdominal surgery.

KidsHealth

The first symptoms of appendicitis usually are a mild fever and pain around the bellybutton. The pain usually worsens and moves to the lower right side of the belly. Vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, and loss of appetite are other common symptoms.

MayoClinic

Although anyone can develop appendicitis, most often it occurs in people between the ages of 10 and 30. Standard treatment is surgical removal of the appendix.

MedicineNet

The main symptom of appendicitis is pain. Most people say the initial pain of appendicitis occurs around the middle portion of the abdomen. Another frequent symptom of appendicitis is loss of appetite that may worsen over time and can result in nausea and vomiting.

MedlinePlus

Appendicitis is a medical emergency. Treatment almost always involves removing the appendix. Anyone can get appendicitis, but it is more common among people 10 to 30 years old.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Researchers have not found that eating, diet, and nutrition cause or prevent appendicitis.

NHS

In most cases of appendicitis, the appendix will need to be surgically removed as soon as possible. Removal of the appendix, known as an appendectomy or appendicectomy, is one of the most common operations in the UK and its success rate is excellent.

Patient

Classic symptoms often do not appear in young children, in pregnant women and in the elderly and the diagnosis is particularly easy to miss in these age groups.

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