Acute Appendicitis

Acute appendicitis is a serious disease that affects around 7 percent of the population. But don't think that because the number of acute appendicitis is relatively low that you can't get the disease. Anyone between the ages of 10 and 30 can get acute appendicitis. To make matters worse, the medical community doesn't fully know what causes appendicitis. Some people will get acute appendicitis because of an obstruction of food or fecal matter, others may get it in response to an infection. Either way, when acute appendicitis happens, a person must get prompt medical treatment as the condition is life-threatening.

So, why is acute appendicitis so dangerous if the appendix itself is a 'useless' organ, (at least in the minds of medical researchers)? Well, acute appendicitis is not dangerous because of the appendix malfunctioning, at least initially. Once the appendix is removed, a person can live a healthy life without it. What causes problems is if the appendix bursts due to the disease getting worse. When this happens all of the harmful contents that were contained within the appendix gets released into the abdominal area. This results in an infection which can be deadly if not treated with antibiotics.

Fortunately, as long as a person is sent to the doctor in time, acute appendicitis can be cured, though the sufferer will have to undergo surgery to get their appendix removed. This process... may result in a lot of pain, though painkillers can be given to ease the discomfort. But other than that, a person should not have to worry about any further repercussions from not having an appendix. In fact, with the appendix gone they get assurance that they will never have to worry about acute appendicitis again.

And yet, if there was a way to avoid having to suffer the condition in the first place, taking the necessary preventative measures would be a lot easier than having to go through surgery. There is just one problem with this thought process... the medical community does not know how a person can prevent getting appendicitis. Some evidence suggests that eating a healthy high-fiber diet will help flush the appendix, (along with preventing build-up of fecal matter), but such things cannot guarantee a person won't get acute appendicitis. Yet, shouldn't a person be eating in this manner anyway? True, it won't 100% prevent an acute appendicitis attack, but it could make you less prone to one. Besides eating healthy helps prevent other problems.

In conclusion, acute appendicitis is a mysterious disease surrounding a mysterious organ. But, despite the uncertainty, the medical community pretty much has things under control when it comes to treating the condition. Of course, this is only if the person is sent to the Emergency Room once the symptoms start. These symptoms include excruciating abdominal pain that won't go away, a fever and bowel problems. Granted, many people may think these symptoms are indicative of stomach bug, but if they were they would go away very quickly. With acute appendicitis the symptoms persist until the person gets the treatment they need.