What is appendicitis?
Q: What is appendicitis?
A: Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix, which is a pouch at the start of the large intestine.
Q: What are some common symptoms of appendicitis?
A: Common symptoms of appendicitis include a sharp pain in the lower right abdomen, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, about 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms.
Q: What happens if an infected appendix ruptures?
A: If an infected appendix ruptures (splits), it can result in painful peritonitis and sepsis. Therefore immediate treatment in hospital is needed for appendicitis.
Q: What was the function of the appendix in apes?
A: The function of the appendix in apes was to digest vegetable matter such as leaves. Humans do not digest leaves but we inherited some of this vegetarian apparatus from our ape ancestors.
Q: What are some causes of appendicitis?
A: Causes of appendicitis include blocking in the appendix or bacterial infections. If it is not treated it may lead to peritonitis and shock.
Q: Who first described acute appendicitis?
A: Reginald Fitz first described acute appendicitis in 1886.
Q: Who does most serious cases of appendicitus usually affect?
A Most serious cases usually affect younger children and elder adults between certain age ranges; 10-14 for males and 15-19 for females
