Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment Of Appendicitis Among Children

Children often suffer tummy problems and parents take it as an ordinary stomach flu. But sometimes, a stomachache can be the start of a much painful ailment.  If a child suffers from severe stomachache for a long period of time, it might mean that your child has appendicitis.

But as posted on Medical News Today, appendicitis among children does not have the same classic symptoms as adults. These are loss of appetite, fever, constipation, and nausea. Abdominal pain is the only indicator of appendicitis among children.

Doctors are advising parents to have their children evaluated immediately if they suffer from consistent abdominal pain.

The pain usually starts from the belly-button going to the lower right abdominal area. Movement, deep breaths, coughing, and sneezing can also increase the pain when a child is suffering from appendicitis.

Appendicitis is usually caused by the congestion of the appendix's opening. Since it is close to the large intestine, the appendix can be blocked by stool, bacteria, or mucus from the appendix that thickens and creates a blockage. The bacteria from the appendix then can multiply and may cause inflammation which leads to appendicitis.

Other causes of appendicitis as posted on Everyday Health include stomach ulcer, bowel diseases, cancerous tumors, urinary tract infection, having gallstones, and complications on the bowels.  

The only practiced treatment for appendicitis among kids is appendectomy and the use of antibiotics, as according to Mum Junction.

Appendectomy is the surgical removal of the appendix and is the standard treatment used in both adults and children to prevent further infections such as peritonitis, which can lead to death.  Meanwhile, antibiotics are used to treat the infection before resorting to appendectomy.

Appendicitis usually occurs more among children than adults and cannot be easily determined among them. So the next time your child complains about tummy aches be sure to not take it as your regular stomach ache, it can be a sign of more serious illness.