home Audience 4 How to independently determine the symptoms of appendicitis. How to check for appendicitis at home: reliable symptoms

How to independently determine the symptoms of appendicitis. How to check for appendicitis at home: reliable symptoms

The appendix is considered part digestive system, the role of which has not been fully identified. Evolutionary scientists consider it an atavism that emerged as a result of the formation human body. Other experts argue that this small process is involved in the formation of immunity. At the same time, both sides agree that violations in it can cause serious problems with health. Prevent severe consequences may promptly go to the hospital. Therefore, it is worth considering how to determine appendicitis yourself.

Characteristic symptoms

To make a correct diagnosis, it is worth remembering that not all abdominal pain indicates appendicitis. If the source of discomfort is located in the navel area, you need to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms:

The pain is located slightly to the right of the navel, occurs suddenly and lasts aching character. During an attack it is difficult for a person to do deep breath, discomfort worse when coughing and laughing.
Because of painful sensations body position may change. So, if the condition worsens, it will be difficult for a person to stand straight and perform usual movements. If a disorder develops in a child, the parent should pay attention to the fact that the baby lies on his right side and raises his legs.
Abdominal pain provokes nausea and vomiting. The duration and nature of this symptom depend on age. In children and adolescents, such a disorder can last quite a long time. In middle-aged people, attacks of vomiting may occur once or twice during the entire illness. For the elderly this symptom rare
With appendicitis, an increase in temperature is often observed. This symptom manifests itself especially clearly in childhood. Deviation from the norm can reach 3-4 degrees. If this happens at a more mature age, it makes sense to suspect an active internal inflammatory process.
If you have abdominal pain, you should pay attention to the condition of your stool. Although violations in this area are quite rare, incorrect position appendix can lead to constipation or diarrhea. In the latter case, defecation does not bring temporary relief, as happens with poisoning.

Appendicitis is often accompanied by dry mouth and pain when urinating (pelvic location). Unpleasant sensations may appear in the genital area and lower back. In children, the pathology will also cause a runny nose and cough. Considering all these signs together, you can come to the right conclusion.

Difficulty interpreting pain

Recognizing appendicitis at home is not always easy. Difficulties arise due to the fact that the location of this process in abdominal cavity at different people may vary. So, in the standard case, the appendix is looked for slightly below and to the right of the navel. However, in some cases it is located higher and closer to the liver.

Sometimes the process drops too low. If this happens to a woman, the pain in it can easily be confused with inflammation of the ovary. With such a structure male body suspicion falls on problems with the urinary tract.

Cases have been recorded when the appendix is located close to the spine. Then the pain can easily radiate to the lower back or groin. Given these features, it is necessary to know additional methods to identify this violation.

Methods for self-determination of appendicitis

To determine whether you need to go to the hospital with suspected appendicitis, you can do a the following actions Houses.

First you need to lay the patient on his back. After this, you need to find the bottommost one with your fingers. right rib and lightly tap on it. The same needs to be done in the area of the left rib. Concerns may arise painful sensations during the first action, as well as their absence when manipulating another edge.
Now the person has to describe where the source of pain is. After this, you need to lightly press your fingers on this place. If the painful sensations weaken slightly when pressed, and returning to the original position leads to their intensification, appendicitis should be suspected.
Another method of home testing for appendicitis is the person’s reaction to cough. If this action causes pain, this is also considered a sign of a disorder. Finally, you need to ask the patient to lie in the fetal position. If there is appendicitis, this action will bring relief to it. But the pain will intensify when you try to stretch your legs.

If all the ways self-diagnosis confirmed the diagnosis, you need to immediately call an ambulance. But if after all the steps doubts remain, you still need to seek help. Abdominal pain still indicates health problems that need to be identified and addressed.

What not to do if you have appendicitis

If appendicitis is suspected, a number of restrictions come into force. Compliance with them allows you to avoid sharp deterioration well-being before receiving medical care. With such symptoms, the use of laxatives and painkillers is strictly prohibited. All this will create difficulties in diagnostics. The list of contraindications includes drugs for the stomach, as they can lead to rupture of the appendix.

Since the detection of this disorder is followed by surgery, you should refrain from eating before visiting a doctor. This will allow you to get started faster surgical intervention. This restriction will also help avoid increased pain caused by increased load on the intestines. In case of appendicitis, thermal effects on the source of inflammation will become dangerous. Therefore, you should not apply a heating pad or anything warming to your stomach.

What can be confused with

Although home diagnostics of appendicitis help to identify the disorder in many ways, its results can hardly be called accurate, given diseases with similar symptoms. These signs may indicate:

about pyelonephritis;
Crohn's disease;
inflammation of the female genital organs;
renal colic;
peptic ulcer;
colitis or enterocolitis;
inflammation of the testicle, nodes in the small intestine;
torn or stretched abdominal muscles.

Therefore, you should not make a diagnosis yourself. If a violation is detected, you must go to the clinic or call an ambulance so that the examination can be carried out using professional methods.

Accurate diagnosis

The main treatment for appendicitis is surgical intervention, which involves removing the process. But before prescribing the operation, the doctor will conduct additional research. First of all, you will need to take blood and urine tests. In the first case, the specialist will pay attention to increased amount leukocytes, which is a sign of an inflammatory process. In a urine test, the criterion for a disorder will be an increase in the level of red blood cells, which indicates the transfer of the disease to the ureters.

Picture taken from the site

Sometimes it happens that a person, having felt pain in the abdomen, does not begin to take any measures: he waits for the discomfort to go away on its own. Others start taking pills from home first aid kit or do it at home folk remedies from plant components, mistakenly recognizing poisoning in the symptoms. But some diseases that cause abdominal pain cannot be cured on your own at home - surgery is required. Moreover, if you do not consult a doctor immediately after the onset of symptoms, your life may be at risk. One of these diseases is acute appendicitis. If you do not want to make a mistake and confuse this disease with a less dangerous one, then know how to identify appendicitis at home and what can be done.

general information

Acute appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix of the cecum, caused by pathogenic microbial flora entering the tissue. If the disease is not recognized immediately, then peritonitis begins due to infection ( purulent inflammation in the abdominal cavity), which can be fatal.

Appendicitis does not necessarily affect every man and woman. However, the disease is considered quite common. Here are statistics on how often doctors diagnose appendicitis in different groups patients:

Children under 3 years of age: appendicitis is detected in 5 cases out of 1000.
Children 3-4 years old: appendicitis is diagnosed in 12 people out of 1000.
Men and women 14-25 years old: appendicitis is diagnosed in 350 people out of 1000.
Men and women 25-40 years old: appendicitis is diagnosed in 450 people out of 1000.
Men and women over 40 years of age: appendicitis is diagnosed in 320 people out of 1000.

If a person detects symptoms of appendicitis at home, there is no need to panic. Several centuries ago, the mortality rate from the disease was over 60%. Modern medicine allowed to reduce this figure to 0.5%, and then deaths characteristic only for neglected cases, if the patient did not recognize the disease at home in time and consulted a doctor after the development of peritonitis.

Main manifestations

There is a catch: on early stage Symptoms of appendicitis are difficult to distinguish from signs of other diseases. They may be the same for the following pathologies: renal colic, intestinal infections, poisoning, cystitis, cholecystitis and even pneumonia. How to recognize appendicitis? The most common signs that allow you to accurately determine acute inflammation appendix are:

Sharp spasmodic pain in the abdomen, changing to different stages diseases.
Nausea, vomiting, general weakness, dizziness.
Diarrhea with loose stools and increased flatulence.
Abdominal discomfort: feeling of bloating, distension of the abdomen
Increase in body temperature to 38 degrees.

Please note: of the listed symptoms, only abdominal pain is mandatory. Other signs may not appear, so you should not focus on them.

Nature of pain

Pain allows you to recognize appendicitis at home. First, the patient goes through an acute uncomplicated stage, during which he experiences acute, but fairly tolerable attacks of pain in the upper umbilical part of the abdomen. The pain is “smeared”; at first, determining the location of the spasm is difficult. The attacks do not last long - a couple of minutes. Most often, the first pain with appendicitis occurs at night or early in the morning.

If you do not understand the danger and do not consult a doctor at the first attacks, then after a couple of hours the nature of the pain may change - spasms begin to occur in the lower right part of the abdomen. The pain can also radiate to left side abdomen if the patient makes a sudden movement, such as sneezing. Passing loose stools may temporarily relieve the patient's condition, but then the symptoms return.

On late stage Instead of stabbing attacks, there is a constant burning, pressing pain throughout the lower abdomen. It is typical that the pain decreases slightly in the fetal position on the right side (with the knees bent tightly to the stomach).

It is worth noting that the appendix is a fairly mobile organ and in different people it can be displaced - this determines where else a person may experience pain with appendicitis. For example, if the appendix is displaced towards the cecum, then in addition to abdominal pain, the patient will experience aching sensations in the lower back, right leg, and perineum. With a higher location of the process, the patient may feel tingling in the right hypochondrium.

You can accurately determine the diagnosis at home as follows: lie on a horizontal surface, bend your knees, press on your stomach with your fingers, and release sharply. With appendicitis in the right lower abdomen, pain will appear at the moment of release. This is the most characteristic feature appendicitis, so all doctors do such an examination of the abdomen to recognize the diagnosis.

Prohibitions and rules

Without recognizing appendicitis, you should not take antispasmodics, antibiotics and painkillers. These medications can only temporarily reduce the pain, although the appendicitis itself will continue to inflame and fester, threatening to rupture any minute. Symptomatic drugs“blur” the clinical picture, misleading the doctor - he cannot accurately recognize the disease, since its signs are “muffled” by pills.

Doctors also prohibit warming up: using warm heating pads or taking hot bath. This helps with other diseases, but in the case of appendicitis, heating will aggravate the situation and cause accelerated development of the inflammatory process.

The most important rule when signs of appendicitis appear: you need to call a doctor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, even at home experienced doctor will not be able to say with 100% certainty why the stomach hurts, discharges loose stool and body temperature rises. Let's repeat, seizures acute appendicitis often “masked” as other ailments. That is why even if a person doubts accurate diagnosis, it is important to go to the hospital, where they will help rule out other pathologies and find out the real reason feeling unwell.

Delay in a situation with appendicitis is fraught with serious exacerbations - in the case of this disease, every hour is important and therefore put off calling the doctor with the thought “What if it’s not appendicitis and the stomach stops hurting on its own?” dangerous. At the hospital, patients undergo blood tests, urine tests, abdominal ultrasounds, and other tests to verify the diagnosis.

After the appearance of abdominal pain caused by inflammation of the appendix, an adult should be on the operating table no later than 12 hours later, and a child - after a maximum of 3-4 hours. That's why it's better to be overly concerned and call a doctor at the slightest suspicion of appendicitis than to fail to recognize the disease and endanger your own life.

Allows for timely identification of the disease and initiation of treatment. Since acute appendicitis is dangerous primarily due to its serious complications, the sooner it is detected and the sooner treatment begins, the better for the patient. But how can you distinguish appendicitis from simple indigestion or food poisoning? In order to identify the disease in a timely manner, you need to know how to identify appendicitis at home, because with appendicitis it is very important to recognize the disease in time and quickly seek treatment medical care.

Symptoms and signs of appendicitis

Here are the main signs that will help you understand that you have appendicitis, and not poisoning or enterocolitis:

Particular attention should be paid to the nature and localization of abdominal pain. Pain in appendicitis is initially localized around the navel and radiates into the navel itself, and then gradually moves to the lower right third of the abdomen. The pain begins sharply, sometimes it is vague, but it is always dull It's a dull pain, which prevents you from taking a deep breath, worsens when laughing or coughing.
If you notice that you are unable to stand up straight and walk normally due to severe pain in the stomach and take a forced position - on your side with your legs tucked in - this is also one of the signs of appendicitis.
Typically, pain is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which not only does not bring relief, but also exhausts the patient. Sometimes vomiting can be one-time, but more often with appendicitis there is uncontrollable vomiting. It is worth remembering that in children and adolescents vomiting will be frequent, in adults - 1-2 times, and in older people there may be no vomiting at all. Sometimes like this age characteristics make it very difficult.
Body temperature, as a rule, is elevated to 37.5-38C, while the temperature can rise to 40C. In adults, a significant increase in temperature indicates progression of the inflammatory process.
Stool with appendicitis most often remains normal, but children and adults with an atypically located appendix may experience constipation or, much less often, diarrhea. Moreover, if at food poisoning frequent loose stools bring temporary relief to the patient, while with appendicitis the condition after going to the toilet remains unchanged and the abdominal pain does not subside.
Dry mouth background painful stomach- a clear sign of appendicitis.
Sometimes there may be frequent and painful urination, the pain radiates to the lower back and external genitalia. Children may develop a cough and runny nose, which makes it very difficult correct diagnosis diseases.

If one or more of the following is detected specified symptoms you can dispel any remaining doubts by trying to determine whether it is actually appendicitis. And here's how to determine appendicitis at home:

You need to try to walk, raising your legs bent at the knees high. If such a step causes severe pain, most likely you are dealing with appendicitis.
Lie on your back, relaxing your abdominal muscles as much as possible. Carefully palpate the abdomen - with appendicitis it is tense, swollen and the pain intensifies when palpated.
Check the Shchetkin-Blumberg symptom: while lying on your back, gently press your hand on your stomach slightly below the navel and then sharply withdraw your hand. If the pain intensifies and radiates to the navel or right side, this is a clear sign of appendicitis. Chronic appendicitis proceeds in the same way as acute, but with more blurred symptoms. To identify it, clinical and instrumental diagnostics in a medical facility.

What to do and what not to do

After you have more or less succeeded in identifying appendicitis at home, proceed to action: call an ambulance or, if possible, get ready and go to the hospital yourself. Acute appendicitis is a condition that is dangerous to joke with, and waiting for it to “resolve on its own” means exposing yourself to mortal danger. If you still have doubts, and you still think that you are dealing with poisoning or simple flatulence, still consult a doctor. Better a “false alarm” than diffuse peritonitis. And you need to act especially quickly if a child gets sick. Do not engage in any self-medication - only see a doctor, and quickly! By the way, advice to those who like to wait until the last minute: if the symptoms of appendicitis begin to smooth out and the pain gradually decreases, do not think that everything worked out. In fact, a decrease in pain indicates the development of putrefactive inflammation, which leads to perforation of the appendix. Here's what you absolutely can't do:

Take painkillers. Yes, it hurts a lot, yes, it’s impossible to endure for long. But taking analgesics will significantly distort the clinical picture of the disease, and the doctor may make a mistake in making a diagnosis. And in acute appendicitis, such a mistake can be fatal.
Apply heating pads and warm compresses to the abdomen. Warming will only speed up the inflammatory process.
If abdominal pain is accompanied by constipation, do not take it on your own. Laxatives put more pressure on an inflamed appendix and can cause it to rupture.

Diagnostics

In the hospital, in addition to the examination, the doctor will prescribe you a whole range of diagnostic measures, because for the correct and surgical treatment accurate is very important differential diagnosis acute appendicitis. You may be prescribed the following diagnostic methods:

Clinical blood and urine tests. In case of appendicitis, urine analysis is within normal limits, which allows you to immediately exclude kidney disease. Urinalysis in this case is only an auxiliary diagnostic method and is not used as an independent way to recognize appendicitis. The same can be said about a blood test - it can only confirm the presence of an inflammatory process, but does not allow an accurate diagnosis.
Ultrasound of the abdominal organs. Ultrasound is one of the fastest and most effective diagnostic methods with this disease.
CT scan. Prescribed in doubtful cases, instead of ultrasound or when ultrasound is not enough.

Ultrasound of the abdominal organs is fast and effective method to detect appendicitis, but sometimes diagnosis using ultrasound is difficult - with obvious obesity or severely swollen intestines, for example. It is in such cases that a computed tomography scan and additional tests are prescribed to clarify the diagnosis. It is worth saying that the problem is very acute in people with chronic diseases (diabetes, oncological diseases), obese people and pregnant women - they have clinical picture often blurred and not typical for acute or chronic appendicitis.

Pain after removal

IN postoperative period There may be pain in the suture area. Such pain indicates uneven or too heavy loads on the body in general and the suture in particular. They may also indicate that the patient is breaking his diet. If the seam hurts, try to adjust your diet and physical exercise. If you experience persistent severe pain in the area of the suture, it is better to consult a surgeon for an examination - perhaps the scar itself has become inflamed due to infection.

An inflammatory process in the lower abdominal region may turn out to be appendicitis. This diagnosis is most often made in people aged 10 to 30 years, but children under 10 years of age and women over 50 years of age may have difficulty identifying appendicitis according to the traditional known symptoms. If you have been diagnosed with appendicitis, you will most likely need surgery to remove the appendix, a small appendix small intestine. This operation is classified as a medical emergency, so it is important for you to know the signs of appendicitis so that if necessary, you can consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Steps

Part 1

Checking Appendicitis Symptoms

Pay attention to common symptoms of appendicitis. Most common symptom Appendicitis is a dull pain in the abdomen, localized near the navel and spreading or intensifying to the lower right side of the abdomen. There are also other symptoms of appendicitis that are not as common. If, when checking, you find several of them, then it is probably time for you to see a doctor or hospital. You must contact ambulance or go to the hospital yourself immediately after identifying these symptoms. Any delay could result in a ruptured appendix, which could put your life at risk. Usually symptoms can be clearly noticed within 12-18 hours from the moment they begin, but they can last up to a week, gradually getting worse. Symptoms may include the following: Many of these symptoms are similar to viral gastroenteritis. The difference is that pain from gastroenteritis is widespread and it is impossible to localize its specific source.

Be careful to check for less common symptoms of appendicitis. In addition to the above, you may also experience other symptoms that are less commonly associated with appendicitis. The following is a list of things to look out for:

painful urination;
vomiting before onset of abdominal pain;
sharp or dull pain in the rectum, back, upper or lower abdomen.

Part 2

Seeking medical help

Delay in seeking medical help may result in the need to wear a colostomy bag for several months or even the rest of your life.
Never delay in seeking emergency medical help if you suspect appendicitis. . A ruptured appendix can lead to death. If you are sent home after being seen in the hospital emergency room, if your symptoms worsen be sure to go back to the hospital for checkup. Often symptoms worsen over time to the point where treatment is required. surgery.

Females experience appendicitis more often than males. Signs gynecological diseases similar to the symptoms of appendicitis in women, it is important for everyone to know how to determine the source of pain at home. Diagnosis can be difficult due to the location of reproductive organs near the appendix.

Incidence of appendicitis in women

Appendicitis is a disease accompanied by inflammation of the appendix. The appendix is a small extension of the cecum, worm-shaped. The disease is eliminated through surgery.

In women, appendicitis most often develops between the ages of 20 and 40. Pregnancy is considered one of the provoking factors. As a result of fetal growth, organs become displaced. This causes inflammation of the appendix.

Causes of the disease

Appendicitis can occur at absolutely any age. But more often young women encounter it. The causes of the disease are as follows:

disturbance of the blood flow of the appendix or its displacement;
inflammatory process in nearby organs;
intestinal infection;
excess serotonin;
blockage of the organ with small objects (seeds, bones, etc.);
clogging of the lumen with feces.

In women, appendicitis often occurs due to gynecological diseases. One of the most common causes of the disease is considered to be an inflammatory process in the pelvic organs. Diet, lifestyle and stress have no less influence on the condition of the appendix. The development of the disease occurs in stages:

The initial stage of inflammation is called catarrhal.
The next stage is characterized by the formation of purulent ulcers.
The phlegmonous stage is characterized by an increase in the appendix and its filling with pus.
On last stage The appendix ruptures.

How to identify the signs

The main symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain. It gets worse when laughing or moving. In some cases, unpleasant sensations radiate to right leg. At the initial stages, it is difficult to understand the symptoms of appendicitis in women; how to determine their manifestation at home, you need to learn in advance. Inflammation develops rapidly, so it is important to consult a doctor in time. Exist individual signs, which you should pay attention to. At the initial stage, the pain is aching in nature. It can radiate to any area of the peritoneum. Its signs can easily be mistaken for cholecystitis, gastritis or gynecological diseases. A little later, the clinical picture becomes more pronounced.

External

TO external signs appendicitis include low-grade fever. It is characterized by fluctuations in body temperature in the range from 37.1 to 38 degrees. Deterioration in health is accompanied by vomiting, which does not bring significant relief. Pregnant women experience abdominal stiffness and shortness of breath. Skin become pale, the tongue becomes covered with a yellowish coating.

Domestic

At inflammatory process appendix, you may lose your appetite. There may be difficulty urinating and bowel dysfunction. Diarrhea occurs most often. Clinical symptoms depend on the location of the process. When it is located behind the cecum, the pain is muted. Localization of the appendix in the pelvis leads to atypical pain.

Internal signs of appendicitis are determined by palpation. The right iliac region and umbilical ring are examined. With light palpation, the tone of the anterior peritoneal wall increases. When you take a deep breath, you feel an increase in pain.

Localization of pain

Whenever alarms it is necessary to pay attention to the local location of pain. The appendix is located on the right side, so the greatest concentration of sensations is noted there. Pain is noted in the area from the navel to the lower abdomen, where the ovaries are located in women.

A few hours after the first symptoms appear, discomfort spreads to other organs. Discomfort appears in the epigastric region, aching pain in the lower back develops, and discomfort when walking increases.

Features of the flow

The danger of appendicitis lies in the possibility fatal outcome. With absence timely assistance peritonitis develops. The inflammatory process may be sluggish. In this case, the pain is not very pronounced, but the following symptoms periodically appear:

vomit;
pain during bowel movements;
discomfort during sexual intercourse;
decreased performance;
discomfort in the abdomen after eating, while laughing or hiccups.

Diagnosis at home

The final diagnosis is made by specialists. There is no need to take any measures on your own. If you suspect appendicitis, you should not drink water or exercise. active movements. This will prevent premature rupture of the appendix. It is advisable to wait for an ambulance, taking horizontal position. At temperatures below 38 degrees, antipyretic drugs are not required

You can distinguish appendicitis from other diseases at home. The main thing is to carry out all manipulations carefully. Initially, the symptoms of appendicitis in women are assessed; how to determine the source of pain at home is no less important. You need to press your fingers into the place on two fingers to the right of the navel and quickly release them. The pain at this moment will be more intense.

In the hospital

After being admitted to the hospital, diagnostic test. It includes the following steps:

examination by a surgeon;
visit to the gynecologist;
blood donation;
Ultrasound monitoring.

The gynecologist conducts an examination for the presence of gynecological diseases. If they are not there, the woman is referred to a surgeon. He will palpate the abdominal area and ask questions about your stool and last meal. Donating blood helps determine the level of leukocytes and ESR. An increase in indicators indicates an inflammatory process. An ultrasound examination is prescribed if doctors have doubts about making a diagnosis.

Who prescribes the operation?

The decision to perform surgery to eliminate appendicitis is made by the surgeon. He analyzes the woman’s condition, studies the tests and the gynecologist’s report. Based on these data, the type of surgical intervention is selected.

Appendectomy

The operation to remove appendicitis is performed using a classic appendectomy or laparoscopy. Appendectomy is a classic abdominal surgery. Laparoscopy is an operation that does not require abdominal incisions in the skin. It is less traumatic, but has a number of significant contraindications. Classic appendectomy is performed much more often.

Before the operation it is placed general anesthesia. Then access to the affected organ is provided. In the case of laparoscopy, they are done on the skin small punctures. The appendix is completely removed, after which the abdominal cavity is drained. The final step involves placing stitches on the puncture or incision sites.

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Postoperative period

After the operation, the doctor prescribes antibacterial therapy. Medicines and their dosage regimen are selected according to individually. If there is a predisposition to thromboembolism, anticoagulants are prescribed.