Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix of the cecum. The disease is one of the most common pathologies requiring immediate medical intervention - an appendectomy procedure is prescribed.

To exclude the development of serious complications, it is necessary to be able to identify appendicitis in a child. There are a number of symptoms, knowledge of which can be very useful for parents.

First signs of inflammation

It is traditionally believed that physiologically the appendix is ​​located in the lower right iliac abdomen. In most cases, this is true, but due to the mobility of the process, it can move to the left side or rise to the navel. The onset of an attack of appendicitis in a child is not quite standard, if we compare the course of the pathology with adults.

Quite often, the baby develops symptoms of a cold: there is a slight increase in body temperature, the child complains of general weakness, and chills may occur. The patient eats poorly, becomes lethargic, and refuses to play.

Important! If you observe a child, when appendicitis develops, he tries to protect his stomach.

Since the condition is accompanied by cold symptoms, appropriate treatment is begun, which does not bring the expected result. The inflammation continues to progress and by the third or fourth day, symptoms characteristic of an attack are formed. Body temperature rises to high levels, and the baby begins to complain of abdominal pain.

Children with an inflamed appendix react painfully to attempts to touch the abdomen

Possible symptoms

When appendicitis develops, a child may experience:

• Nausea ending in vomiting. Inflammation of the appendix is ​​characterized by a wave-like appearance of attacks of nausea: it can disappear completely and then return with greater force. The appearance of vomiting indicates severe intoxication of the body. As a rule, with appendicitis it will be single.
• The appearance of plaque on the tongue. This is one of the most likely signs of inflammation of the appendix. A dense layer of gray, beige or milky color is located in the center of the tongue. Difficult to remove with a spoon. The child’s breath remains clean, which eliminates the exacerbation of pathologies of the digestive system.
• Temperature. The initial stage proceeds with a slight increase in its indicators. A rise in temperature above 38 degrees indicates the involvement of all layers of the appendix in the inflammatory process.
• Changes in the consistency of stool. In approximately 15% of children, an attack of appendicitis is accompanied by the development of diarrhea. Feces are abundant, liquid in composition, without an unpleasant odor, and may contain particles of undigested food.

Important! With appendicitis, a child may complain of pain both when urinating and when bowel movements.

Symptoms depending on the child’s age

It is possible to understand that the baby has begun to have inflammation of the appendix not only by general signs. There are also characteristic age-related symptoms. The peak incidence occurs between the ages of 5–14 years. But there are exceptions when the disease is diagnosed in children who have not yet turned 3 years old.

Under 5 years old

In this age group, the condition develops slowly. There is no significant increase in temperature, but nausea often occurs, ending in vomiting. Children are capricious, anxious and refuse to eat.

Under 3 years old

Children at this age develop symptoms of dehydration - the skin and mucous membranes become dry. The child constantly asks for a drink. The baby tries to protect his stomach, not allowing anyone to touch it. Abnormal bowel movements are possible: either constipation or diarrhea may occur.

Appendicitis is very rare in children under 3 years of age.

Under 10 years old

At this age, the disease is accompanied by an increase in body temperature to 38 degrees. In severe cases, this figure increases to 39 degrees. The patient feels nauseous, but there is no vomiting. There is no stool disturbance. There is severe abdominal pain, aggravated by palpation. The child tries not to lie on his side, since in this case the pain intensifies.

Over 12 years old

At this age, the disease proceeds as in an adult. Initially, pain forms in the umbilical region, then descending to the right iliac region of the abdomen. Body temperature rises slightly. The pain is paroxysmal in nature, there are no strong spasms. Nausea, vomiting and bowel disturbances are not noted. But quite often symptoms of dehydration develop - the mucous membranes become dry, the teenager is thirsty.

Important! If the above symptoms develop, the patient must be shown to a doctor. It is impossible to diagnose the disease at home with 100% certainty.

Characteristics of pain syndrome

You can recognize appendicitis in a child by the nature of the pain. Inflammation of the appendix is ​​characterized by a certain path of spread. At the beginning of the development of the condition, the area of ​​localization is the epigastric zone. It then moves lower to the navel and migrates to the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. With the accumulation of purulent contents, pain can spread to the area of ​​the arm, under the shoulder blade.

You can find out about the onset of an attack by examining the child’s stomach. He will note:

• asymmetry of the abdomen;
• tension in the anterior abdominal wall;
• swelling.

The character also differs. At the catarrhal stage, the child complains of severe pain, felt as stabbing or cutting. After the state transitions to the phlegmonous stage, they become aching with periodic intensification.

A characteristic sign of inflammation of the appendix is ​​the child adopting a forced position. He lies on his right side, tucking his legs to his stomach. The pain intensifies significantly when the baby turns to the left side and straightens his legs.

Professional diagnostics

Diagnosis of appendicitis in children involves the use of various techniques. The examination includes a physical examination and clinical tests. If necessary, instrumental studies are prescribed. Physical examination consists of palpation of the abdomen. The doctor notes the presence of acute pain and tension in the anterior abdominal wall when trying to palpate the inflamed appendix.

Ultrasound is a mandatory method for diagnosing inflammation of the appendix

Sometimes an additional rectal examination is performed. To check the preliminary diagnosis, urine and blood tests are performed. With appendicitis, an increased content of leukocytes is noted in both biological fluids, which indicates existing inflammation. If necessary, instrumental tests are performed - ultrasound of the abdominal organs, x-rays, computed tomography.

Techniques are used to determine the location of the appendix, assess its condition and current size. It is necessary to carry out differential diagnosis to exclude other pathologies accompanied by similar symptoms. Appendicitis is a serious disease that requires urgent medical attention. This is why it is so important to identify pathology at the beginning of its development.

Appendicitis is one of the most common pathologies of the abdominal cavity, requiring emergency surgical intervention, which develops due to inflammation of the appendix.

Types of appendicitis

Depending on the nature of the disease, appendicitis is divided into two main types - chronic and acute. Clinical and anatomical classification of inflammation of the appendix in children includes the following types:

the perforated form of appendicitis involves rupture of the wall of the appendix and the outpouring of its contents into the abdominal cavity itself;

empyema of the appendix - accumulation of pus in the lumen of the appendix;

gangrenous appendicitis - accompanied by necrosis of the tissues of the walls of the appendix;

phlegmonous appendicitis - inflammation of all layers of the appendix, while its surface is covered with fibrin spots, pus accumulates in the cavity;

catarrhal appendicitis is the simplest and most common form of pathology. It is accompanied by hyperemia of only the mucous membrane of the appendix, swelling, and accumulation of serous exudate in the abdominal cavity.

Symptoms of appendicitis in children

Acute appendicitis can develop in children at any age, but the disease most often occurs between 5 and 14 years of age, while in boys the pathology occurs 2 times less often than in girls. Compared to adults, the symptoms of appendicitis in children are somewhat different, which is due to the poor development of the lymphoid tissue of the appendix and some differences in the structure of the appendix. In children, the appendix is ​​quite often localized behind the cecum (retrocecal) and subhepatic, which causes a special picture of the disease.

Characteristic signs of appendicitis in a child:

increase in body temperature to high levels;

signs of anxiety (crying, refusal to eat, sleep disturbances);

abdominal pain of various localizations (depending on the location of the appendix);

urinary disturbance;

• bloating;

  bowel dysfunction (diarrhea, constipation);

  increased heart rate (tachycardia).

In children, appendicitis develops suddenly and has rapidly increasing symptoms. As in adults, the child develops sharp aching pains in the epigastric region, which gradually descend to the place of typical localization, in the right iliac region (with a typical location of the appendix).

Spanish scientists conducted a study of three thousand cases of acute appendicitis, during which it was found that in 40% of cases of admission to the hospital, the patient had consumed fried sunflower seeds or chips the day before; such cases were especially often recorded in adolescents under the age of 14 years.

Symptoms of an atypical location of the appendix:

pain in the liver area – with subhepatic localization of the appendix;

pain above the pubis and in the lower abdomen - with pelvic localization of the appendix;

pain in the lumbar region, radiating to the groin - with retrocecal localization of the process (behind the cecum).

In some cases, pain in children may have a rather rare localization - radiate to the stomach, ureter, genitals, perineum, back, which creates additional difficulties for diagnosing the disease.

Children with inflamed appendicitis quite often take a forced position, in most cases this is lying on the left side with the legs pulled up to the stomach (by reducing the tension of the mesentery and peritoneum, the pain becomes moderate). In addition, the child often prohibits touching his stomach, which greatly complicates the examination, so it is much easier to carry out the examination when the child is in a state of medicated or physiological sleep.

Small children cannot independently indicate the presence of pain, so they become restless - they refuse to sleep, refuse food, scream, cry. In moments of calm, the baby prefers to lie without moving, freezing in one position. There is an increase in body temperature to 38 degrees (in small children the temperature may be higher), tachycardia is noted, a white coating is present on the tongue, and the face becomes red. In older children, there is a so-called “scissors” symptom, when the temperature does not correspond to the pulse rate.

Signs of appendicitis in a child

One of the signs of exacerbation of appendicitis in a child is vomiting, which can be repeated or one-time, and in any case it does not bring relief to the child. In children under 3 years of age, one of the symptoms of appendicitis may be pain when urinating.

During the examination of a child with suspected typical appendicitis, a positive response has most of the symptoms that are characteristic of the diagnosis of appendicitis in adults: the Rovsing, Sitkovsky, Razdolsky, Shchetkin-Blumberg symptom. With retrocecal localization of appendicitis, pain and tension in the abdominal muscles upon palpation are mild, and the Shchetkin-Blumberg symptom may have a negative result. With pelvic appendicitis, the main clinical picture may be somewhat blurred, but a rectal examination becomes more informative, during which the infiltrate is palpated.

If a child has abdominal pain, it is forbidden to carry out independent treatment without first establishing the cause of its occurrence. It is imperative to call a doctor. For children over 7 years old, there are several ways to suspect appendicitis, which parents can do with extreme caution before the doctor arrives:

If a child in a supine position on the right side, when pulling the legs towards the stomach, feels a weakening of pain, and when straightening and turning over to the left side, the pain intensifies, this may indicate acute appendicitis.

Also, a characteristic symptom of appendicitis is increased pain in the right iliac region when the child turns over to the left side from the back.

When coughing, pain in the right iliac region intensifies, which is one of the symptoms of appendicitis.

Feeling the baby's abdomen on your own is not allowed, as this can cause significant harm. To compare the pain in the left and right iliac regions, you can only lightly tap with the pad of your finger, and if the child feels pain on the left side, but not on the right, this may also be one of the symptoms of appendicitis.

Such self-diagnosis is allowed only in order to immediately call emergency help in case of serious suspicion. If the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is confirmed, emergency surgery is indicated. This is a relatively simple surgical intervention, after which in most cases the child is discharged within a week.

American scientists consider ultrasound to be the most ineffective method for diagnosing appendicitis, especially when diagnosing children, since this method leads to frequent errors, so they propose replacing it with a more informative CT scan. However, CT scans are accompanied by radiation, which, with frequent exposure, increases the risk of cancer (especially leukemia and brain cancer), and this risk is higher in children than in adults. But still, with an uncertain diagnosis and symptoms in the case of acute appendicitis or cerebral hemorrhage, computed tomography can save the child’s life, so it is important to correctly assess the risks.

Factors that provoke the development of appendicitis

Factors that can trigger inflammation of the appendix include:

anatomical features of the location of the appendix;

dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract;

infection in the appendix;

penetration of foreign bodies into the appendix (rarely).

Hereditary predisposition and the connection between inflammation of appendicitis and physical activity or the child’s lifestyle have not been established.

If appendicitis is suspected, do not give your child painkillers, as their effects may complicate diagnosis. Also, under no circumstances should you warm up the child’s belly using a heating pad or other devices, as this will increase inflammation and lead to a worsening of the child’s condition.

Differential diagnosis of appendicitis in children from other diseases

Differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children is carried out with the following diseases:

intussusception;

scarlet fever, chickenpox, hepatitis, rubella, measles (also accompanied by abdominal pain);

pneumonia;

urological diseases;

coprostasis;

gastrointestinal diseases;

acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI).

Respiratory infections in young children can be accompanied, like appendicitis, by abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting. However, ARVI occurs with characteristic changes in the mucous membranes of the throat and nose, the presence of nasal discharge and symptoms of conjunctivitis. A distinctive symptom when a child has inflammation of appendicitis is abdominal syndrome - passive tension of the abdominal muscles and pain on palpation.

Pneumonia may be accompanied by abdominal pain that mimics appendicitis. With this development of the disease, the dynamics of the process are important. With pneumonia, increasing shortness of breath, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle are observed, after some time moist rales and weakening of breathing appear, which are not characteristic of appendicitis. The diagnosis is confirmed by X-ray examination. On an x-ray of the lungs, the signs of pneumonia are clearly expressed.

Otitis in a child (especially a small one) can also copy the picture of appendicitis. Children sleep poorly, cry, and are restless. However, with otitis media, the child’s abdomen remains painless, and there is no passive tension in his muscles. While pressing on the tragus of the ear causes a new attack of anxiety and crying in the child.

Intussusception, compared to appendicitis, has more pronounced symptoms: bloody discharge from the rectum, sharp pain in the abdominal area. On palpation there are no symptoms of peritoneal irritation or abdominal muscle tension. Confirmation of the diagnosis of intussusception is achieved by x-ray examination of the abdominal cavity.

According to statistics, every year in our country appendicitis affects about a million people, most of them children. Today, mortality due to appendicitis is low, and in almost all cases doctors manage to save the child. In the summer, when many children are in camps, relaxing with their grandmother in the village or in the countryside, the ability to distinguish abdominal pain in a child from ordinary indigestion or intestinal infections becomes especially important. After all, there may not be doctors nearby, and an ambulance will not be able to come to you quickly when the child is vacationing far from the city.

Appendix- This is a short, thin process about 10 cm long, which is located at the end of the cecum. In shape it resembles a thick worm, but it does not play a special role in digestion. Previously, the appendix was considered an unnecessary appendage in the human body and was removed even with related operations. Today, doctors have a different opinion: the appendix cannot be removed if there is no inflammation, since protective cells are found in it. In addition, the appendix, like the stomach, produces intestinal juice. Therefore, the appendix plays a certain role in digestion and protection of the body, although this role is minor.

Exists common There is an opinion among adults that it develops as a result of a blockage. For example, seeds, peanut husks. However, very often appendicitis is diagnosed in very young children who have not yet tried such products. Today, the exact causes of appendicitis have not been determined, but children who may develop this disease can be considered a risk group. These are children suffering from the following diseases:

There is also opinion that appendicitis develops as a result of stressful situations and a strong blow to the stomach, as a result of which the child experiences a sharp narrowing of the blood vessels, which leads to sudden inflammation of the appendix.

Abdominal pain baby with appendicitis they occur suddenly, without any reason. At first they are not too strong, they can be tolerated. Then the pain becomes unbearable and resembles the pain of colic. The child becomes unwell, weak, and his appetite worsens. One-time nausea and vomiting may occur. A characteristic symptom of appendicitis is a temperature of up to 38? C, sometimes accompanied by chills. A white or yellowish coating appears on the child’s tongue. The mistake of many parents is that they do not know how to distinguish appendicitis from ordinary abdominal pain and try to treat it themselves. And this is very dangerous for the child, because in this case perinotitis may occur - inflammation of the abdominal cavity.

Perinotitis is very serious disease, which can only be treated surgically. Moreover, this operation is very complex, in many cases with serious complications. Therefore, if a child experiences abdominal pain, you should under no circumstances try to endure it or treat it yourself; be sure to call a doctor home. Parents can recognize appendicitis in a child themselves, but this must be done very carefully. Tips for recognizing appendicitis are as follows:

1. Ask baby cough loudly, if at the same time he has severe pain in the right iliac region, most likely it is appendicitis.
2. Ask baby lie down and lightly tap the pad of your bent index finger in the area of ​​the right ilium, if he says that it hurts, then this may be inflammation of the appendix. For comparison, also tap on the left iliac fossa. The absence of pain in the left region is also a characteristic sign of appendicitis. Never feel the baby's belly with your fingers, as this is dangerous if you have appendicitis. This can cause your inflamed appendix to rupture, leading to perinotitis.

3. Ask baby lie on your right side and pull your legs towards your body. If the pain subsides, then this is typical for appendicitis. If the child turns on his left side and straightens his legs, the pain should intensify.
4. Try very carefully lightly press on the place in the child’s abdomen where it hurts. If the pain eases a little, then this is a sign of appendicitis. When you remove your hand, pain will appear immediately with appendicitis.

Self-diagnosis appendicitis It is only necessary to urgently call an ambulance, because treatment of appendicitis without surgical intervention is impossible. If a child is diagnosed with acute appendicitis, he undergoes emergency surgery. The operation for appendicitis is not complicated; the child is discharged from the hospital on the seventh day. The main task of the postoperative period is to avoid complications after surgery. If the surgeon's recommendations are not followed, suppuration of the sutures and postoperative wound may occur.

Often in everyday life we ​​confuse the terms “appendix” and “appendicitis”. In fact, it’s easy to remember the difference: the appendix is ​​an organ, the appendix of the cecum, and appendicitis is an acute disease of the appendix that requires surgical intervention.

Contrary to popular belief, the appendix is ​​not a completely useless vestigial organ. Doctors often call the appendix the “internal tonsil of the abdomen”: just as the tonsils protect the lungs, the appendix protects the intestines, and it contains lymphoid tissue that takes part in various immune processes. This is why modern medicine has abandoned the practice of removing the appendix for “preventative” purposes, since this is a direct intervention in the immune system. If a child’s appendix is ​​removed while he is in full health (as was once customary to do, for example, in the USA), his body will be less resistant to infections. When the appendix becomes inflamed (appendicitis begins), doctors are forced to remove it. Then the immune functions of the removed organ will be taken over by other organs and tissues (lymph nodes, spleen, liver).

How does the appendix become inflamed?

The mechanism of development of appendicitis is well known. Normally, food moving through the gastrointestinal tract should not enter the appendix. If the route changes, then the “lost” particles will no longer be able to leave this organ on their own; they decompose in it, causing inflammation. At first it occurs only in the appendix, but after 12 hours it can spread to the entire abdominal cavity. Gases and mucus formed during the rotting of digested food overwhelm the appendix, rupture its walls, and the toxic contents spread, poisoning the body.

Causes of appendicitis in children

In the 60–80s of the last century, it was believed that appendicitis was provoked by foreign bodies entering the mouth, and from it into the stomach and intestines of the baby. Later, the hypothesis was refuted, but this does not mean that the baby can “pull” everything into his mouth.

Today, experts define the cause of appendicitis as a coincidence of several unfavorable factors, in particular:

• overfeeding the child;
• lack of fiber in the baby’s menu;
• excess carbohydrates – baked goods and sweets;
• constipation;
• Gastrointestinal diseases (dysbacteriosis, gastroenteritis, ascariasis).

The occurrence of appendicitis in children is also influenced by:

• Heredity. If mom or dad were operated on, then the child may also develop appendicitis, and there are often cases when this happens at the same age as the parents.
• Seasonality. Off-season (spring, autumn, thaws in winter), when the weather and atmospheric pressure are constantly changing, is the peak of cases of acute appendicitis; The connection is still unclear to specialists, but in practice this is true;
• Infections. The trigger for appendicitis can be a common cold (upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, otitis media, etc.).

Forms of appendicitis

Appendicitis can be acute or chronic. In the first case, the attack begins unexpectedly and develops very quickly. In the second, the baby complains of discomfort and pain in the tummy for several weeks or even months. But this form of the disease is more common in adults.

Surgeons distinguish four forms or stages of appendicitis.

1. At the initial – simple or catarrhal – The walls of the appendix become slightly thicker.
2. On the next – destructive phlegmonous – the organ is already increasing in size, the blood circulating through it and nearby vessels becomes thicker, and blood clots form in it.
3. The disease then progresses and becomes destructive gangrenous phase– the tissues that form the walls of the appendix die (necrosis).
4. The most dangerous stage – perforation or rupture of the appendix and release of its contents into the abdominal cavity. At this stage, appendicitis is complicated by peritonitis - inflammation of the peritoneum, which is accompanied by poisoning of the body and disruption of the functioning of many organs and systems.

The stage of appendicitis is indicated, in particular, by the condition of the tongue, or more precisely by the white coating on it. The stronger the inflammation, the larger the area it covers: in the catarrhal form, only the root is covered, in more complex cases, the entire tongue is covered.

Symptoms of appendicitis in a child

Appendicitis most often occurs in people aged 10−30 years. At the age of 1-1.5 years there are isolated cases. In children aged 2 to 7 years, the incidence is 3−5%. Although appendicitis does not occur very often in young children, the problem is that the younger the child, the more difficult it can be to make a correct diagnosis.

Doctors call appendicitis the “chameleon of the abdominal cavity” - it can hide under the guise of many other diseases. Most often, untimely visits by parents to a doctor and diagnostic errors occur in cases where appendicitis develops against the background of viral infections, after food errors. Parents may think that the child’s stomach hurts because he has a cold or has eaten too much (for example, in the summer after a rich feast with barbecue and sweets), and wait until “everything goes away on its own,” whereas in fact the pain may be a sign of developing appendicitis .

The most important sign of appendicitis in children is abdominal pain. It is permanent: it can intensify or weaken, but it never goes away completely.

1) Abdominal pain. In the case of appendicitis, this symptom is always present. In the classic form, pain from appendicitis should appear on the right side, under the liver, where the appendix is ​​located. But not everything is so simple: the baby’s organs and body parts are small, so the appendix does not immediately take its “rightful” place and can be shifted to the side - closer to the left and right hypochondrium, to the pelvis, etc. In this case The child will feel like the whole tummy, or even the lower back, hurts. The baby will begin to protect this part of the body, not allowing anyone to touch it, will move less, mainly lie on his back or right side, with his legs tucked. The symptom intensifies when walking, coughing, or changing body position. If you hold a child in your arms, he will cry. If the child can already talk and understands his body so well that he can point out the painful area, then in case of prolonged pain, you need to periodically ask him again where it hurts: a clear symptom of appendicitis will be a gradual movement of pain to the right.

Pain with appendicitis in a child does not resemble cramps or colic(spasmodic pain: the child suddenly complains about his stomach, cries; if he is very small, he wiggles his legs, and after some time he is cheerful again - the colic has passed). With appendicitis, the pain is constant (it can come in “waves” - sometimes intensify, sometimes subside a little, but does not go away completely for a minute). It is important to remember that the intensity of pain does not indicate the level of danger - it may not be very strong, the main criterion is consistency.

2) Lethargy, fever– in approximately 90% of cases, appendicitis in children is accompanied by a rise in body temperature (37–38 degrees); with the rapid development of the disease and the presence of complications (peritonitis), the temperature can reach 40°.

3) Refusal to eat, nausea, vomiting (or diarrhea)– quite common, but not obligatory symptoms of appendicitis in a child: vomiting occurs in approximately 70% of cases, usually once or twice, 1-2 times there may be loose stools.

4) Rapid deterioration. With the progression of purulent processes in the appendix the child's condition may quickly deteriorate: thirst appears, skin color changes (pallor). The most dangerous complication of appendicitis is peritonitis - inflammation of the abdominal cavity, which is accompanied by severe pain.

What parents of a child with suspected appendicitis need to remember:

• Appendicitis in a child can develop rapidly. The sooner the child is examined by a doctor and the correct diagnosis is made, the more favorable the prognosis. Therefore, the most important thing for parents to remember is that if pain in the abdominal cavity continues continuously for 3-4 hours, you should definitely call an ambulance.
• Appendicitis in a child often occurs uncharacteristically: the temperature is low or not at all, the pain is mild and lasts for several days in a row. But in this case, all doctors insist that it is better to play it safe, to spend several hours in the emergency room to make sure that there is no appendicitis, than to seek help too late, when complications can no longer be avoided.

Memo to parents

If you suspect appendicitis in a child, you must:

• If alarming symptoms appear, monitor the child.
• Be sure to call an ambulance if abdominal pain persists for 3-4 hours (especially if it gradually moves to the right), the temperature rises, the child refuses to eat, nausea and vomiting appear.
• Before the doctor arrives, put the child to bed.
• If there is vomiting or diarrhea, give your child water in small portions to avoid dehydration.
• If the pain is not severe and not localized on the right side, you can give an antispasmodic (if it is a spasm, it will go away, if there is appendicitis, then the antispasmodic will not help); if you suspect that the child may have constipation, make a microenema with a hypertonic solution (1 teaspoon of salt per glass of cold water; for a 5-.7-year-old child, 100-150 ml of such a solution will be enough).

If you suspect appendicitis in a child, you should not:

• Warm the abdominal area (this can cause rupture of the appendix and the occurrence of peritonitis).
• Giving your child painkillers (analgesics), this can blur the symptoms and prevent a correct diagnosis.

Every parent should know the signs of appendicitis in children. This disease is dangerous, so if surgical intervention is not carried out in time, it can have dire consequences. This disease can make itself felt at absolutely any age.

Diagnostics allows us to identify the initial stages of inflammation of the appendix. But parents themselves can recognize the first signs of appendicitis. The main thing is to know what to look for.

Causes of inflammation of the appendix

In fact, childhood appendicitis occurs quite often and often at school age. The danger of such a problem is that initially parents may mistake the symptoms that appear for banal poisoning or flatulence. Accordingly, the measures taken will not help the baby, but will only worsen his condition.

The appendix is ​​a section of the large intestine in the form of a process that has a blind end and is shaped like a worm. An interesting point is that until now experts have not come to a consensus on the purpose of such a body.

However, there are some causes of appendicitis in children that can provoke inflammation:

• if parents do not control their child’s diet;

• the children's menu does not contain enough fiber products;

• if the child uncontrollably consumes sweet foods;

• appendicitis can occur against the background of constant constipation, when the body is not able to get rid of accumulated toxins;

• in the presence of intestinal dysbiosis;

• when the child has a history of gastrointestinal diseases or gastroenteritis;

• This situation can also be caused by ascariasis - when helminthic infestations appear in the baby’s body.

All these points pose a certain risk to the baby’s health.

If the appendix narrows, then the mucous formations cannot leave such a cavity, which causes tissue swelling, wall tension and increased pressure in the appendix. As a result, the blood supply to the organ is incorrect, which provokes blood stagnation, which is an excellent environment for the proliferation of microbes.

What else do you need to know?

It takes half a day for the appendix to become inflamed. It happens that the blockage goes away on its own; otherwise, due to lack of blood, the soft tissues of the organ begin to die. And then a rupture occurs, resulting in pus and fecal matter entering the abdominal cavity. The danger of this situation is that this entire stage can develop literally in 1 day, less often in 3. Therefore, it is important to know how to determine appendicitis in a baby at the first stage of development.

Acute appendicitis usually appears in children after 2 years of age. This is due to the fact that until this age, parents give the child “gentle” dishes - vegetable purees, porridge, boiled and steamed dishes. In addition, only with age does the vermiform appendix elongate in length and become narrower. Usually, at the age of 7, the child’s lymph nodes are almost completely formed, which in the future can provoke obstruction of the organ.

It is impossible not to mention pathogenic microflora. Even in a healthy person, various microorganisms are present throughout the intestines. In order to prevent them from becoming more active, it is necessary to prevent the development of an environment favorable to them. Parents should know that if a child is sick, for example, with a runny nose, then microbes that have settled in the nasopharynx can reach the appendix through the blood or lymph.

Very often, appendicitis appears in children after they have suffered a viral disease, sore throat, sinusitis, otitis media, typhoid fever, tuberculosis or amoebiasis. Therefore, parents should be very careful about the health of their child.

Types of pathology

Signs of appendicitis in children may vary slightly. This is due to the fact that such a disease has its own classification according to the severity of development. Each type is characterized by its own processes in the organ. Therefore, in medicine, appendicitis is divided into different types:

1. Simple (catarrhal) - in this case, the walls of the organ become somewhat thicker, and the inflammation is still insignificant, so no complications are observed here.

1. Destructive is a more complex form.

Such appendicitis can be phlegmonous or gangrenous. In the first case, the organ already increases significantly in size, which is why vascular thrombosis begins to occur in the walls of the appendix. The second type is characterized by the formation of necrosis in the soft tissues of the appendix.

1. Empyema.

The most recent and severe form. Here the entire organ is already inflamed, and active purulent processes begin.

The last 2 types can result in rupture if the reaction is untimely. It is quite rare for the inflamed appendage to heal on its own; more often it has to be removed. If you don’t know how to recognize appendicitis in a child, then you can miss this moment, and then the disease will become chronic. And this is fraught with constant relapses.

Another difficulty in determining appendicitis in a child is that it can be located in any part of the abdominal cavity. This is often the reason for the late reaction of parents, since they do not take the child’s complaints seriously. They begin to engage in incorrect treatment, which is why the hours then count. Therefore, if children have stomach complaints, it is better to protect yourself and immediately seek qualified help.

Accompanying symptoms

To know how to recognize appendicitis in their child, parents should first ask him about what he did shortly before he began to complain about his health. Here, of course, the clear formulation of sentences is very important, because, for example, 3-year-old children can explain very vaguely what worries them. By the way, this often becomes a difficulty for the doctor himself.

Such symptoms in children are often similar to other diseases of the digestive system. But thanks to the development of modern medicine, and in particular ultrasound, appendicitis is now diagnosed much faster and easier.

If there are no complications in the body, then the symptoms of appendicitis in children can manifest themselves in the following ways:

The more the disease progresses, the closer to the iliac region on the right the pain moves. To alleviate his condition, the baby tries to take the fetal position on his right side. If the child is asked to turn over on his left side, the pain will intensify. Children who can speak can point to exactly that place, but very young children will simply constantly cry, be capricious, eat and sleep poorly.

1. Recognition of appendicitis in a child can be determined by the presence of vomiting.

After he carries out this action, there is no improvement or relief. In children 3-4 years old, urges are observed more often than in older categories.

In children 2-3 years old, the temperature always rises during inflammation, and its indicators remain at high levels. In older age groups, temperature may indicate the development of complications.

In children, symptoms of appendicitis can be determined by the tongue. If there is a strong white coating on the organ, then inflammation of the appendix occurs. The more there is, the more dangerous the situation becomes. The plaque starts from the base. If a child has a gangrenous form, then the oral cavity will experience increased dryness.

Since the vermiform appendix becomes inflamed, its size increases slightly. In such a situation, pressure is exerted on all nearby organs, so babies may experience defecation problems - constipation. But for children under 5 years of age the situation is reversed – diarrhea appears. If, according to the anatomy, the appendage is located near the genitourinary system, then the child may experience problems with going to the toilet in a small way.

Additional manifestations

In addition to these signs, clinical symptoms of appendicitis in children may also appear. These points need to be known, since the appendix may be located in an atypical place. Accordingly, a symptom such as pain may make itself felt in a completely different place, while tension in the abdomen and pain on palpation may not appear as such. Therefore, if the appendix is ​​located in another part of the body, then inflammation of appendicitis will make itself felt like this:

• in the retroperitoneal area – the pain will radiate to the lower back, groin and ureters;

• pelvic area - discomfort is localized in the lower abdomen, above the pubis and perineum, and in such a situation the baby will have problems with loose stools and urination, and the feces will contain mucous inclusions;

• subhepatic area - pain radiates to the right hypochondrium.

Such symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases, which is especially dangerous with gangrenous appendicitis.

Despite the fact that inflammation of the appendix in children under 3 years of age is extremely rare, it can still occur. Since this age category of children, due to their development, cannot clearly formulate their thoughts, parents are obliged to know about the external manifestations of such a disease. These include:

• inflammation develops very quickly, so the baby’s temperature often rises to high levels (39-40 degrees);

• the child refuses to eat, and may even feel sick, which causes general exhaustion of the body and weight loss;

• the child defecates a lot, and the stool becomes watery;

• every trip to the toilet in a child is accompanied by pain, which is why he is capricious and hysterical;

• It is easier for the baby to be in the fetal position, which makes it difficult to examine.

Regarding the last point, we can also say that the right leg is mainly tightened, but this is only if the appendix is ​​located anatomically correctly.

If parents are not sure about the type of disease, then it is better to conduct an ultrasound examination, which will specify the problem with 95% accuracy. The specialist also palpates the abdomen and observes the reaction of the child and his body. If such diagnostics do not provide accurate data, computed tomography is used as an auxiliary method.

Parents should be attentive to all the baby’s complaints, because a timely response minimizes the consequences of any disease.