Every child can get sick with acute appendicitis. Most often children of early school age are susceptible to it. Inflammation of the appendix is a rather dangerous disease. Delay in the provision of qualified medical care can lead to dangerous complications (and even death).
Symptoms in toddlers
Appendicitis in young babies can proceed in different ways. Often, the first symptoms occur under the guise of a cold or flu. The child feels bad, he is very weak, refuses to eat. Kids become very moody and do not play with toys. Their usual favorite activities no longer bring them joy and satisfaction.
Some of the first symptoms of appendicitis are as follows:
- Increased body temperature. In most cases, the temperature does not exceed 37-37.5 degrees. However, with a severe course of the disease or in weakened babies, the temperature can even rise to 38-39 degrees. The higher the temperature, the more unfavorable the course of the disease becomes.
- Weakness, decreased mood and appetite, possibly headache. All of these symptoms are the result of severe dehydration and inflammation. They occur with inflammation of the appendix of the cecum (appendix). Babies become more sleepy, may cry or sob.
- Tummy pain. Classically, with appendicitis, pain is localized in the right half of the abdomen. However, this is not always an absolute diagnostic feature of the disease. In a small number of cases, the appendix may be located in the left side of the abdomen, as well as in the navel (or even under the right costal arch). Very rarely, the appendix is located in the groin.
- Moderate pain intensity. Small children may also have a spastic version of the course of the disease. In this case, the pain intensifies, then subsides for a while. The child at this time tries to spare the tummy. Any touch to the baby's tummy can cause him to increase the pain syndrome.
- Children under three years of age may vomit during pain or fever. However, this symptom does not always occur. For older children, persistent nausea is characteristic.
- Stool disorder does not develop in all cases. This is more common in younger children. Loose stools are more common than constipation.
- Manifestations of dehydration. These include severe thirst, dry lips and visible mucous membranes, and dry skin. If such symptoms appear, an ambulance team should be urgently called. In this case, emergency hospitalization in a surgical hospital is already required.
Features of the flow
Acute appendicitis in children does not proceed as in adults, but in a completely different scenario. Even suspecting a child's illness is sometimes much more difficult. This is due to the peculiarity of the structure and functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
The reasons that cause the disease in children can be various external factors. The most common cause is mechanical occlusion of the cecum. This can be caused by helminthic invasion, foreign objects entering the stomach and intestines, as well as various bacteria that cause inflammation.
In most situations, acute appendicitis develops after ingestion of copious amounts of untreated coarse fiber. This may be the case if the child has eaten a large amount of fruit with the skin or swallowed some kind of fruit along with the stone. Remove any seeds from fruits and berries before giving it to your child.
Experts note that appendicitis most often occurs in babies over 7 years old. Babies do not suffer from this disease. Quite often, appendicitis occurs during adolescence. In children over 12-13 years old, the disease proceeds according to the same scenarios as in adults.
During illness, symptoms of intoxication and dehydration may prevail in children. This is due to the imperfection of the structure of the immune and excretory systems of the child's body. The development of complications associated with the appearance of dehydration is also quite common in children.
Acute appendicitis is quite bright and has pronounced clinical symptoms. If you do not start the correct treatment on time and do not perform a surgical operation, you can cause irreparable harm to the child's body and even expose the baby's life to great danger.
Differential diagnosis
It is quite difficult to diagnose any surgical pathology. The fact is that many diseases during their development can have similar clinical symptoms or manifestations. To say exactly what kind of disease has arisen, doctors conduct additional laboratory tests and studies.
When a child is admitted to a surgical hospital, blood will be taken from him for analysis. It shows whether there is an inflammatory process in the body, and also allows you to understand what is a possible cause of the disease. From a blood test, the doctor can tell with a high degree of probability whether a particular inflammatory process is caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Blood tests will show how dangerous and difficult the baby's disease is.
If the diagnosis is difficult enough, additional diagnostic methods may be required. One of the fastest and most informative methods for determining the presence of acute appendicitis is an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs. The diagnostician will be able to give a description of all organs of the gastrointestinal tract and clarify whether there is inflammation in the appendix.
Acute appendicitis must be distinguished from all exacerbations of chronic diseases of the digestive system. For adolescent girls, when the appendix of the cecum is located in the small pelvis, differential diagnosis is often required (diseases of the uterus, ovaries and appendages). Here, gynecologists are already coming to the aid of surgeons.
In very rare cases, when the appendix is located in the umbilical zone, it is necessary to carry out differential diagnosis (exacerbation of chronic gastritis).
Exacerbations of chronic pancreatitis or acute cholecystitis can give similar symptoms. In any case, the final diagnosis can only be made by the surgeon, after all the necessary additional analyzes and studies.
Clinical guidelines for treatment
Suspecting signs of acute appendicitis in the baby, parents should urgently call an ambulance. In such a situation, hospitalization of the baby in the surgical department is required.
In the very near future, after all the tests, a surgical operation is required to remove the appendix. The operation is not difficult. If the surgeon has sufficient clinical experience, you should not be afraid of the operation. Babies with acute appendicitis are admitted to the emergency department of pediatric surgery every day.
If the baby's disease is severe and there are pronounced symptoms of intoxication, an urgent operation is performed in the very next hours after the baby is admitted to the hospital. In this case, the operation is aimed primarily at keeping the baby alive.
With the development of shock, when the baby is unconscious, an emergency operation is also required, but with the preliminary restoration of the child's condition. In this case, intensive care physicians are involved in the work of surgeons.
After the operation, the baby remains in the surgical hospital for some time. This is necessary so that the doctor, observing the condition of the child, does not miss dangerous complications in the postoperative period.
For about two weeks, the child's body will recover after the operation. If the child had signs of shock or peritonitis at the time of admission to the hospital, the hospital stay may take a longer time.
The entire rehabilitation period will be monitored by doctors. After discharge from the surgical department, the baby will be monitored at the dispensary by a surgeon for six months. The doctor will monitor the condition of the suture, and will also give recommendations on how to prevent the appearance of a hernia.
After discharge from the hospital, any physical activity is limited for a month. Lifting heavy objects is strictly prohibited. This can provoke the occurrence of various complications.
Treatment of acute appendicitis should be carried out only in a surgical hospital. With a timely surgical operation, you can not worry about the baby's life. This disease will be completely cured.
Let us recall one more topic that worries many parents, whose children have had surgery to remove the appendix. This is the nutrition of children after this operation. Expert recommendations in a detailed video.
See below for more details.
