subject: Proper Diagnosis of Appendicitis through Appendicitis Symptoms and Laboratory Tests [print this page] Proper Diagnosis of Appendicitis through Appendicitis Symptoms and Laboratory Tests
With only a few appendicitis symptoms, there is only one main symptom you should be concerned about - abdominal pain. The first time you feel it, it is usually diffused and poorly localized. This means, it doesn't seem to stop at one place, it travels. It's hard to pinpoint the exact location of the pain so if you ask a patient where he feels it, he will just show you a circular motion by the central part of the abdomen.
Another symptom is loss of appetite. Later on, this will eventually progress to other appendicitis symptoms like nausea and vomiting. This is already a result of intestinal obstruction.
The more the inflammation increase, the more it extends through the patient's appendix towards its outer covering and eventually to the lining of the abdomen or the peritoneum. It is only when the peritoneum becomes inflamed that the patient will be able to pinpoint the localized location of the pain. This is usually in the area between the right hip bone's front portion and the belly button. This is called the McBurney's Point. Once the appendix ruptures and the infection spreads towards the abdomen, there is diffusing pain again and the abdomen's lining becomes inflamed.
The Story Behind the Diagnosis of Appendicitis
Proper diagnosis of appendicitis is very important because it failure to distinguish it right away can put the patient's life at risk. In the old days, the only way to determine if the patient is experiencing appendicitis is through his or her medical history & through physical examination. These patients would feel moderate to severe tenderness in the lower right part of their abdomen when the doctor pushes the area and they are feverish. So when the patient starts experiencing rebound tenderness of extreme pain after the doctor releases his hand over the area of tenderness, this would mean that the inflammation has spread over to the peritorium.
Another way to check is through the patient's white blood cell count which tends to become elevated with infection. However, this alone cannot guarantee appendicitis since there are other conditions that can also cause elevated white blood cell counts.
