Appendicitis means the inflammation of the appendix. The appendix is a part of the large intestine, measures a few inches in length and looks like an empty tube that communicates with the intestine. It is usually localized at the lower right side of the abdomen.

If the exit of the appendix gets blocked by hardened mucus, food or stool, a local infection will occur and as a response to this, an inflammation of it will be produced by the body.

Appendicitis must be treated as soon as possible because the inflammation will extent and form an abscess or a breakage of the appendix can occur and lead to abdominal peritonitis.

Some of the symptoms of appendicitis are: pain in the belly button area which in the end will move in the right side of the lower abdomen and will be much worse, low graded fever, nauseas and sometimes even vomiting, loss of appetite and constipation or diarrhea.

These symptoms are common to other illnesses but there is a particular sign that only appendicitis has: the nausea and vomiting begin after the abdominal pain had installed.

Diagnosing appendicitis can sometimes be difficult due to its uncertain symptoms and due to other affections that manifest alike (gastroenteritis, Chron's disease, etc).

Nowadays appendicitis is not as frequent as it way years before and affects mostly patients aged from 10 to 30. Of course, children and elder people can get appendicitis but not is such a large number as this category of age. Statistics say that 7% of the US population is affected of appendicitis. Appendicitis is not a contagious disease, so you must not worry if your friend had appendicitis. Scientists believe that following a high-fiber diet will prevent appendicitis from happening to you. They do not know yet why the disease occurs in some people and in other it does not.

Appendicitis is considered to be an emergency due to its severe complications that can occur if left untreated.

Surgery will remove the inflamed appendix with the help of the laparoscope. Before that, intravenous fluids will be administered to keep you well hydrated and no oral intake of food and water is allowed because this could interfere with the anesthesia and surgery. The laparoscope is made of several tubes one containing an optic camera and others surgical instruments. This device will leave a smaller scar than the scalpel, and patients will recover faster after the surgery made with the laparoscope. The disadvantage is that the patient will require a general anesthesia.

In order to see if you have appendicitis or not the doctor will request a blood test to see if the white blood cells are in an increased number. The white blood cells usually get numerous if an infection occurs in the body. A urine test will also be made to eliminate the possibility of a urine infection; CT and ultrasounds are performed too and are quite reliable nowadays.

If you are at home and you suspect that someone in your family has appendicitis do dot give him food or water in order to avoid complications and not to make surgery more difficult. Also, painkillers, antibiotic drugs and laxatives are prohibited.