Appendicitis history and symptoms

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Common Symptoms

Symptoms of acute appendicitis can be classified into two types, typical and atypical (Hobler, K., 1998).

Typical Symptoms

Typical symptoms include:

• Pain starting centrally (periumbilical) before localizing to the right iliac fossa (the lower right side of the abdomen)
  • This is due to the poor localizing (spatial) property of visceral nerves from the mid-gut, followed by the involvement of somatic nerves (parietal peritoneum) as the inflammation progresses.
• Loss of appetite
• Fever may occur
• Nausea may occur
• Vomiting may occur

With the typical presentation of appendicitis the diagnosis of the disease is easier to make, surgery occurs earlier and findings are often less severe (Hobler, K., 1998).