How to Diagnose Appendicitis?
The appendix is a small tube-like organ attached to your large intestine. It doesn’t perform any critical function but can get clogged or inflamed. Appendicitis is a serious condition that requires immediate treatment, preferably surgery. Appendicitis treatment in Navi Mumbai is for patients with severe abdominal pain in the lower abdomen. The condition can lead to a swollen appendix, which might eventually burst and become a life-threatening condition.
Causes and Symptoms of Appendicitis
Appendicitis occurs because of the bacterial overgrowth in the appendix. The bacteria from your large intestine can travel to the appendix, infect it, and clog the tube. Here are the symptoms of appendicitis:
- Abdominal pain around the belly button accompanied by nausea and vomiting
- Pain that’s persistent and keeps worsening
- Fever
- Bloated abdomen
- Frequent urination
- Diarrhea
If left untreated for a long time, your appendix can burst and the infection can spread throughout your body.
Diagnosing Appendicitis
The most common sign of appendicitis is pain in the abdomen, which shifts toward your appendix (lower part). Your healthcare provider will ask about your history of symptoms and run a few tests to diagnose appendicitis.
A) Physical Exam
Physical exam, i.e. putting pressure on the abdomen will worsen your pain. This happens because of the inflamed peritoneum. A digital rectal exam is another procedure that helps your doctor identify an inflamed appendix.
B) Imaging Tests
Imaging tests, like abdominal ultrasound and an X-ray, can help diagnose appendicitis easily. They will conduct further imaging tests, like a CT scan or an MRI, for a more accurate diagnosis. If the symptoms are confusing, imaging tests are used to identify the cause of pain.
C) Blood Tests
Blood tests help diagnose an infection in your body by checking the white blood cell count. The increased number of white blood cells indicates an active infection in your body.
In addition to these tests, the doctor will order a urinalysis to rule out the possibility of an infection of the bladder, urethra, and kidneys. These conditions can produce a similar range of symptoms. Likewise, the doctor will recommend a pregnancy test for women of their childbearing age.
Also Read: How to Reduce Appendix Pain?
Treatment of Appendicitis
The doctor for appendicitis surgery in Navi Mumbai will recommend an invasive surgical procedure to remove the inflamed appendix. That’s the only treatment for appendicitis. But before that, they will prescribe antibiotics to reduce infection. They will also conduct the above-listed imaging tests to evaluate the severity of the infection.
i) Medication
Appendicitis can be treated with antibiotics, but it’s unlikely that it will resolve with the medication alone. Your healthcare provider might recommend medication to treat the infection before they perform surgery. Note that appendicitis doesn’t resolve on its own. It will most likely return if the appendix is left intact and the pain and symptoms are resolved with medication.
ii) Surgery
Appendectomy is a surgical procedure used to remove the appendix either through an open surgery or a laparoscopic procedure. If you have had a laparoscopic procedure, you will recover faster and get discharged within a day or two.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is critical to identify the signs of appendicitis and seek immediate medical assistance. To precisely diagnose the ailment, the diagnostic process includes physical examinations, imaging studies, and blood testing. Antibiotics can be helpful, but surgery is the best course of action; open or laparoscopic operations are two alternatives. Prompt intervention is essential to avoid complications, and following the prescribed treatment regimen guarantees a full recovery and return to health.