Appendix is one of the non essential organ of the human body. Yes, it is this unimportant organ that can lead to a life threatening condition called appendicitis.
Appendicitis is the inflammation of appendix, this can be caused by bacteria. This inflammation can be quite painful and if not treated early, it may rupture, realeasing bacteria into the abdominal cavity and this results in increased complications which include widespread painful inflammation of the abdominal lining.
The symptoms include;
i. Pains at the right lower quadrant
ii. Nausea
iii. Fever
iv. Anorexia (loss of appetite)
v. Vomiting
The diagnoses of appendicitis is based on the above symptoms. If the diagnoses is unclear, medical imaging like the ultrasound and computer tomography (CT scan) with the later being more accurate though the ultrasound is preferred because of the high risk of radiation associated with CT scan.
Appendicitis can be treated by surgically removing the appendix in cases of acute appendicitis, this reduce the risk of death associated with rupture of the appendix. Antibiotics are also effective but only in cases of unruptured appendix.
All images were gotten from google