Other symptoms of appendicitis
Flatulence is a non-specific symptom and does not directly indicate appendicitis, as it can have many other causes. However, it is known that appendicitis can cause flatulence in addition to constipation. Therefore, it can be assumed that flatulence can also occur in the case of an appendicitis.
However, it is not a sure sign for an appendicitis. In the case of appendicitis, the abdomen usually remains soft and can be squeezed in, but depending on the progression of the inflammation, with pain-related defensive tension in the middle upper abdomen or right lower abdomen. However, if the entire abdomen feels hard and any manipulation of the abdominal wall leads to severe pain and defensive tension, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible, since there is probably an inflammation of the peritoneum and thus of the entire abdominal cavity.
Peritonitis, also called peritonitis, is a severe complication of appendicitis. The peritoneum is a double-layered skin that lines all organs in the abdomen. The most common pathogen is the intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli, which infects the peritoneum and thus leads to an inflammation of the entire abdominal cavity.
This is a life-threatening infection which requires the fastest possible therapy. Back pain is not one of the classic symptoms of an appendicitis. Due to the location of the appendix, lower abdominal pain is much more common.
However, there are people in whom the appendix is located further back in the abdomen. With such a positional variance, flank or back pain is more often perceived instead of abdominal pain. However, since back pain typically has other causes, it must be determined whether the back pain is related to the irritation of the appendix or has occurred as a separate symptom.
Nausea is one of the typical signs of appendicitis and is quite common. The nausea can also be accompanied by vomiting. It is also classically linked to a lack of appetite.It is often difficult to distinguish whether the nausea occurs in the context of a possible appendicitis or a simple gastroenteritis.
In both cases, nausea already occurs in the early course of the disease. In children and adolescents it must be noted that they may have atypical symptoms and should still be considered for appendicitis. The classic symptoms of appendicitis include loss of appetite.
Often this starts before any other symptoms like pain, but is not always noticed. Loss of appetite is a reaction of our body to a disturbance in the digestive system in order not to aggravate further food intake, possible complications such as diarrhoea and vomiting. However, loss of appetite is a very common symptom also in many diseases, especially in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and because of this it is not specific for appendicitis.
Appendicitis is often accompanied by constipation and flatulence (wind retention). Diarrhea, on the other hand, is rather untypical for appendicitis and makes one think of gastroenteritis. In small children, however, appendicitis can also be associated with diarrhea, so the differential diagnosis of appendicitis should always be in the back of the head.
Blood in the stool is not likely to indicate appendicitis. If there is blood in the stool, other causes should be clarified as a matter of priority. An inflammation of a Meckel’s diverticulum, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal cancer must be considered.
Blood in the urine is rather untypical for appendicitis. For blood to enter the urine, damage to the kidneys or the urinary tract must be present. With an appendicitis it is possible that the right ureter is also inflamed due to its proximity to the appendix. This could then lead to blood admixture in the urine. It is therefore important not to rule out appendicitis from the outset if there is blood in the urine.
