When should I see a doctor?

If there are signs of appendicitis, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the higher the risk of a rupture and an inflammation of the entire abdominal cavity. In children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 15, in whom appendicitis most frequently occurs, special consideration should be given to possible appendicitis and appropriate action taken.

Recognizing appendicitis

To recognize an appendicitis is not always easy. There are some typical symptoms that indicate appendicitis, but in many cases the course of the disease is atypical and makes diagnosis difficult. Often the symptoms of appendicitis start relatively suddenly within 12 to 24 hours.

At the beginning there is often pain in the region of the navel, which then moves to the right lower abdomen within a few hours. In many cases there is general malaise, vomiting, nausea and an increase in body temperature. In some cases, appendicitis can be recognized by the difference in temperature between the crook of the armpit and the anus.

Constipation, diarrhoea or loss of appetite can also be a sign of appendicitis. The often very unclear upper abdominal complaints can easily be mistaken for typical symptoms of gastritis. An appendicitis can often be recognised by a so-called concussion pain in the lower abdomen.

The pain is intensified when the person concerned jumps on one leg, for example. In many cases there is also pain in movement, especially when the right leg is lifted, pain in the right lower abdomen is increased. For this reason, a relieving posture can often be seen in affected persons, as they want to move as little as possible to avoid the pain.

In children and elderly people it is often even more difficult to detect appendicitis, as children, for example, often experience untypical pain. Older people, on the other hand, often show a mild course of symptoms without fever and without severe pain. As a matter of principle, a doctor should be consulted if the abdominal pain is unclear and persists for a long time.

Even for an experienced examiner, it may not be easy to detect appendicitis immediately. For this reason, there are a number of tests and examinations which make it easier to recognise the disease and which can help to exclude other causes of the complaints. Examination of the abdomen can provide some indications of appendicitis.

For example, there is often pain due to pressure at certain points on the abdomen or a typical increase in pain during certain movements. This physical examination in combination with a body temperature measurement, a laboratory medical report and an ultrasound examination makes it easier to recognise acute appendicitis. Nevertheless, in some cases appendicitis cannot be ruled out with certainty despite unclear symptoms, which is why in these cases surgical removal of the appendix is still performed as a precautionary measure to prevent possible complications.