Appendicitis in children: signs and symptoms in a child and adolescent

Inflammation of the appendix of the cecum is called appendicitis. This disease is considered the most common in gastrointestinal surgery.

The pathological process covers not only adults, but also children. In babies, the temperature rises, pain in the abdomen appears, vomiting opens, and the stool is disturbed.

This disease can only be cured by surgery. When the first attacks of appendicitis appear, a doctor should be called immediately.

To do this, you must learn to recognize appendicitis, symptoms in children and why this disease occurs.

Danger of disease

The main danger of children's appendicitis is the rapid development of an acute form. It can lead to serious complications that threaten the life of a small patient.

Necrosis of the intestine and cecum may occur, and the inflammatory process may spread to adjacent parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

When inflammation spreads into the abdominal cavity, peritonitis can occur, which is extremely difficult to treat.

The second major problem is the difficulty in diagnosis. For this reason, pathology is detected late, which leads to a lack of timely treatment.

Appendicitis in children, according to its characteristics, can manifest itself as intoxication, in which it is difficult for parents to discern the symptoms of inflammation of the appendix.

It is very important to understand the causes of the disease and specific symptoms in order to seek medical help in time.

Causes

Doctors have not fully figured out the functional component of appendicitis. Previously, it was believed that this organ is useless and it was proposed to remove it before the onset of the inflammatory process.

But this theory did not take root, since a theory appeared about the importance of the organ in maintaining immunity in the body.

The main reasons for the development of the pathological process are:

• Narrowing of the lumen of the appendix;
• Blockage of the lumen of the appendix with fecal stones, a foreign body.

With the development of these processes, pathogenic bacteria begin to actively develop in the affected organ.

Blockage can occur for several reasons:

• Small fragments of fecal stones have penetrated into the lumen of the cecum;
• Penetration of small particles of undigested objects (husk from seeds);
• Parasites in the intestinal cavity;
• With intestinal torsion;
• Genetic predisposition of the organism, heredity, feature of the anatomical structure.

Appendicitis in a child aged 2 years is quite rare. This is due to the fact that at this age he eats exclusively natural and gentle nutrition.

The appendix is ​​short at this age and the lumen is wide. As it grows older, it stretches, the lumen decreases, which leads to the complexity of cleansing the organ.

Risk factors

There are certain factors that affect the development of appendicitis in a child. All of them directly affect the development of the inflammatory process in the cecum:

• Overeating and improper diet. Eating junk food at an early age (chocolates, chips, others).
• Lack of fiber in the food consumed on a daily basis. It is very important for stimulating full bowel function.
• A large amount of consumed sugar in harmful products (confectionery, chocolate).
• Stool disorders characterized by constipation.
• Intestinal dysbiosis, which affects the flora in the body.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - poisoning, infection, irritation.
• Parasites and helminthic invasions.

Development of pathology

An attack of appendicitis in a child is prone to very rapid development. This leads to disastrous consequences for the entire body of the baby in the shortest possible time.

For these reasons, the pathological process often spreads to the abdominal cavity, which leads to serious and dangerous complications in the form of appendicular peritonitis.

A simple catarrhal form of the disease quickly flows into a destructive one. It is represented by phlegmous or gangrenous appendicitis.

Lack of timely treatment or ignoring symptoms threatens the following serious consequences:

• Perforation of the walls of the affected organ, the development of peritonitis may occur;
• Growth into a chronic form of the disease;
• The formation of intestinal obstruction;
• Blood poisoning, leading to death;
• Development of an appendicular abscess.

The development time of peritonitis from the onset of the inflammatory process is on average 24-36 hours.

Chronic appendicitis in a child is less common than in adulthood. It is characterized by periodic painful effects in the lower abdomen on the right.

These signs are joined by the classic symptomatology - nausea, an increase in body temperature is noted.

Symptoms

At the initial stage, signs of appendicitis in children can manifest themselves in different ways. The nature of the attacks depends on the location of the appendix.

The most obvious and first symptom is the appearance of pain in the umbilical region.

As the inflammatory process progresses, the pain gradually shifts to the location of the appendix.

The nature of the pain, depending on the location of the appendix:

• Classic location. The pain syndrome is shifted to the lower region of the peritoneum on the right.
• Pelvic location. There are severe pains in the area above the pubis, accompanied by frequent urination, diarrhea with mucus.
• Subhepatic location. Strong pain appears under the right rib.
• Retrocyclical layout. Pain appears in the lumbar region.

In any area of ​​localization of the appendix, small patients refuse to eat.

Signs of intoxication

In any form, the signs of appendicitis in children are very similar to poisoning. Little patients feel nausea, vomiting, vomiting opens.

The distinguishing feature of this disease from intoxication is the lack of relief after vomiting. In young children, vomiting opens only once.

At school age, it can be one-time, or take place in two stages.

Temperature

A rise in body temperature is one of the main symptoms of the disease. How it manifests itself:

• In babies, the body temperature rises to critical indicators - 40 ° C.
• In children aged 3-5 years, the thermometer reads 38-39 ° C.
• In schoolchildren and high school students, a rise in body temperature up to 38 ° C is noted.

Chair

One of the important signs of the disease is stool disorder:

• Young children have loose stools (diarrhea).
• At the age of 3-5 years, children experience stool retention, which should not be confused with constipation.
• In adolescence, as in adults, manifestations of constipation are noted.

Language

When examining a patient, regardless of age, the surgeon always pays attention to examining the tongue. According to his condition, the doctor is able to determine the developing stage of the disease.

How is it shown:

• Simple or catarrhal appendicitis. The specialist notes the moist surface of the tongue, which is covered with a bloom of white at the root.
• Destructive stage. Often, at the phlegmonous stage, the surface of the tongue is marked with a moist, completely covered with white bloom.
• Gangrenous stage. It is the most dangerous, the surface of the tongue is dry, completely white.

You should be careful about this symptom, especially in babies.

Symptoms by age

At each age, the symptoms of appendicitis can manifest themselves in different ways. It is very important for parents to learn to recognize the disease by the first signs.

Up to 3 years

At the age of three, the pathological process manifests itself instantly, its development proceeds very quickly.

The appearance of the first such symptoms should be a cause for concern and an early visit to a doctor.

Diagnosis is best done when the child is asleep.

The most alarming symptoms characteristic of pathology are:

• Loss of appetite, refusal even from your favorite food;
• Reduced physical activity;
• Capriciousness, tearfulness;
• Restless state;
• Sleep disturbances, insomnia on the first night of the attack;
• Nausea, vomiting;
• Raising the temperature to 40 ° C, and during breastfeeding to 37.5 ° C;
• Frequent bowel movements or diarrhea;
• Pain when urinating;
• Rapid pulse;
• The kid cannot be examined, he bends his right leg under him, squatting;
• When bending to the right or during movements, pain syndrome increases. Feeling of severe pain when lying on the right side;
• Diarrhea with mucus, especially with diarrheal appendicitis.

The danger of the disease consists not only in the transition of a simple stage to a destructive one. With frequent diarrhea, the child is at risk of dehydration.

In what cases you should immediately call an ambulance:

• When the body temperature rises, which has nothing to do with colds;
• For several hours, the child suffers from pain in the abdomen;
• The pain syndrome in the abdominal cavity disturbs when walking, increases with sneezing, coughing;
• Reducing pain when pressing on the affected area. With a sharp release of the hand, the pain intensifies.

3-5 years

Appendicitis in children 5 years old is easier to recognize. At this age, the child is able to show a painful spot, complain about additional signs.

When diagnosing, this greatly simplifies the study, allows you to quickly make the correct diagnosis.

At this age, children can endure mild pain without complaining to their parents about the illness.

7 years

The symptoms of appendicitis in children 7 years old are similar to those of adults. But it is still quite difficult to make a diagnosis at this age.

The child can be very scared, constantly cry, be capricious. For fear of telling their parents about their pain, children may hide dangerous signs of the disease.

The most common symptoms in children 7 years of age:

• Nausea;
• Vomit;
• Ruffle pain;
• Stool is disturbed;
• Increased body temperature;
• Deterioration of the general condition.

What symptoms in children of 7 years old should prompt parents to call a doctor:

• Decreased appetite
• Nausea with single or repeated vomiting;
• High fever, chills;
• Constipation or diarrhea;
• Dryness of the tongue, the surface of which is coated with a bloom.

If the symptoms of appendicitis in children of 7 years of age appear separately or all together, they should be shown to the doctor no later than 2-3 hours after the onset of the attack.

10 years

In children 10 years old, the following symptoms of the disease are observed:

• The child is scared, because of the fear of the operation, he may hide the pain from his parents;
• Refuses to eat food completely;
• Feeling weak;
• There is pain in the entire abdominal cavity, passing after 2-3 hours into the right iliac region. When tilting, the pain effect increases;
• Chills, increased body temperature up to 38 ° C;
• Dryness of the tongue, the appearance of a white coating on its surface;
• Single or double vomiting;
• Thirst;
• Constipation;
• Rapid pulse;
• Weak condition.

Teenage years

Signs of appendicitis in a teenager over 12 years old are manifested in a discrepancy between the pulse rate and body temperature.

The pulse is noted to be rapid, and the body temperature is low. It is exclusively a specialist who should be engaged in diagnosing the disease and checking this symptomatology.

The symptoms of appendicitis in adolescents aged 14-19 years are very similar to the symptoms of the disease in adult patients.

At this age, pathology occurs most often. If the girl has signs of the disease, she is sure to be given a referral to the gynecological department for examination by a gynecologist.

This measure is necessary to exclude pregnancy or diseases of the female genital organs.

Recommendations

When the first signs of illness appear, parents should take a closer look at their child.

All symptoms are studied in detail, a doctor is urgently called. In no case should a heating pad be applied to the affected area.

Heat will intensify the inflammatory process, aggravate the course of the disease. Before the arrival of the doctor, it is forbidden to give painkillers on your own, since they can lubricate the symptoms of the disease.

When diagnosing, it will be more difficult for a doctor to make a diagnosis. Also, you can not do enemas and give laxatives to combat constipation.

Diagnosis is carried out by a doctor by palpation. If there is a suspicion of a pathological process, a test is necessarily assigned.

For this, the child is given an ultrasound scan, urine and blood tests. When hospitalized, the child is brought to a medical facility.

In the emergency room, a detailed examination of the patient is carried out; upon confirmation of the pathology, the child is sent to the surgical department.

Treatment is performed exclusively by surgery. After surgery, antibacterial drugs can be prescribed to exclude infection, rapid healing of wounds.

Particular attention is paid to the postoperative period. A special diet and bed rest are required.

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