Chronic Appendicitis

Many people may not have even heard of chronic appendicitis, as its counterpart, acute appendicitis is much more common. However, chronic appendicitis does happen. And when it occurs, it can be just as serious as acute appendicitis. There is just one problem. Since chronic appendicitis progresses at a much slower rate than acute appendicitis, a person may not be compelled to the doctor until it's too late. This is why a person needs to be aware of the symptoms of chronic appendicitis, so if they have them they can get checked out before the disease takes their life.

What are the symptoms of chronic appendicitis? They are similar to the symptoms of acute appendicitis, only they are much milder. These symptoms include: stomach pain, fever, nausea and fatigue. All of this is due to an inflamed appendix, which may be blocked with pus, infection or even fecal matter. Either way, if a person is suffering from chronic appendicitis, the inflammation is not as extreme at least initially. Yet, it still builds up over time. This can result in the infection spreading to other areas of the body, even if the appendix itself doesn't burst, (which is a complication that can happen with acute appendicitis).

Treatment of chronic appendicitis usually doesn't involve surgical removal of the appendix, despite such measures being common for the acute form of the disease. Instead, doctors prescribe powerful antibiotics to help fight the infection. Yet, one dose of antibiotics won't do the trick, since chronic appendicitis can be somewhat tough to treat. Sufferers of chronic appendicitis may have to take the drugs over time to help beat their disease. Of course, if there is a threat that the chronic appendicitis may actually make the appendix burst, doctors will probably opt for its removal.

Nothing can be done to prevent chronic appendicitis. There are theories that a healthy diet help cleanse the appendix, lessening one's chances of getting the disease. Yet, don't think because you eat well that you can't become a chronic appendicitis victim. The main key is listening to your body. While the symptoms associated with chronic appendicitis are not as serious as acute appendicitis, they are problematic enough to indicate that something is going on wrong with your body. At best you could just be experiencing a stomach virus or a bad flu, but keep in mind that these conditions shouldn't last longer than a week. With chronic appendicitis the symptoms last for months until a person gets treated or worse... the infection gets so severe it ends up killing them.

In conclusion, don't think the long-term nature of chronic appendicitis makes it a safer condition than acute appendicitis. The only real difference is that chronic appendicitis will just take longer to do lethal damage. Don't let things progress to that point. If you have any of the above-mentioned chronic appendicitis symptoms for over a week, go to the doctor and discuss your concerns. It is a lot better to go to the doctor and not really 'need' the checkup than to wait until things have gotten so bad that you need to go to the Emergency Room.