What are the causes of appendicitis?
Miss Jane was always complaining of pains in her abdomen along with fever, which kept recurring after treatment. Worried by her condition, her parents took her to see a doctor and she was diagnosed with appendicitis. According to Dr Ofure Eboreime, the Chief Medical Director, Ohize Medical Centre, Benin City, appendicitis is an inflammation of […]
appendicitis
Miss Jane was always complaining of pains in her abdomen along with fever, which kept recurring after treatment.
Worried by her condition, her parents took her to see a doctor and she was diagnosed with appendicitis.
According to Dr Ofure Eboreime, the Chief Medical Director, Ohize Medical Centre, Benin City, appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix.
“It is a warm structure at the end of the large bowel (colon).”
Enoh, govs join forces to name Kano Golf Club national heritage site
What it takes to make northern elders angry
He explained “It is a finger-like blind tube whose wall contains lymphoid tissues.”
He said the inflammation is akin to what happens when one has an infection of the finger (whitlow).
Causes
Dr. Eboreime said appendicitis is caused by factors ranging from infection, blockade of its lumen by worms, stone, food particles as well as when the appendix is kinked among others.
Signs and symptom
He said the symptoms of appendicitis include umbilical pain (central abdominal) that later settles on the lower abdominal quadrant (right iliac fossa), fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation among others.
Dr. Eboreime added that the signs include tenderness as patients can actually point to the site of pains.
According to him, in diagnosing appendicitis, you commence from the history it is presented with, from abdominal examination, saying that the diagnosis of appendicitis is actually clinical.
“Laboratory findings and abdominal scan are ancillary or supplementary to help with continuation or exclude associated complications like rapture, mass formation and spread of infection to other parts of the abdomen” he said.
Myths
Dr. Eboreime explained that the wrong belief and myths about appendicitis are that people believe it is as a result of poisoning, eating rice, beans and other grains with stones.
“But these are not the causes of appendicitis, which is the inflammation of the appendix”, he said.
Treatment
Eboreime said the treatment of appendicitis is by operation to remove the appendix.
“ But first optimise the patient by admitting, administering intravenous fluid, antibiotics as well as giving pain killers to the patient.”
“Also, we ensure that the patient’s physiological parameters are okay,” he said.
Recommendations
Dr Eboreime advised people to seek early doctor’s assessment, avoid self-medication as well as traditional medication.
The doctor added that people should not go to church for miracle healing but rush to the hospital to seek treatment so as to avoid complications.