Medical experts define chronic appendicitis as a prolonged inflammation state of the appendix. It’s a rare condition that can cause excruciating pain and may become life-threatening if not appropriately addressed.
In this article, we’ll discuss the role of the appendix, chronic appendicitis symptoms, and diagnosis, and explore different courses of action experts take to address the issue.
As such, those people should know – who are dealing with the disease of the appendix – treatments exist. And if you have any concerns regarding the condition, feel free to reach out to Dr. Omar Rashid after reading the article.
Defining Chronic Appendicitis
The appendix is an organ connected to the large intestine’s bottom part. It’s basically a tiny pouch with sausage or finger-like shape.
Interestingly, the exact function of this organ is unclear at the moment. Some theories suggest that the appendix is responsible for storing healthy and good bacteria, helping the digestive system get back to normal after illnesses that involve diarrhea. Other medical professionals suggest that the appendix plays no role in the digestive system of modern humans, and it’s only a reminder of our evolutionary past.
Still, this mysterious organ can become both infected and inflamed, with the first prevalent signs of appendicitis being abdominal pain.
Furthermore, the inflammation may become chronic. Generally, experts talk about chronic appendicitis when the inflammation lasts longer than seven days.
While this condition is relatively rare (with only around 1.5% of cases being classified as chronic appendicitis), it may occur, and it will need quick medical attention to ensure it won’t cause any further complications.
Chronic Appendicitis Causes:
The condition may develop for various reasons, and in some cases, medical experts are faced with causes without clear clues of the leading cause.
Often the chronic appendicitis symptoms may be a result of the obstruction of the appendix or inflammation. Still, there are other possible causes as well, and they include:
- Fecal matter accumulates in the area, which may happen during constipation
- “Appendix stones” or calcified fecal deposits may also provoke the condition
- Abdominal trauma
- Tumors may also trigger chronic appendicitis
- Worms
- Enlarged glands and lymph nodes
- The buildup of stones, pins, marbles, and other foreign objects may also cause this chronic condition
Chronic Appendicitis Symptoms
Most often, patients experience mild pain when talking about the first noticeable chronic appendicitis symptoms. Even then, the condition may prove challenging to diagnose, as the symptoms may be relatively mild and can often be mistaken for signs of different conditions.
The pain will be dull in mild cases, but in the case of more severe symptoms, it can be excruciatingly sharp. As such, some patients will only experience mild abdominal pain as their only symptom. In that regard, the pain they feel usually radiates from the area of the abdomen’s lower right side, but it may often be felt around the belly button’s area too.
When talking about chronic appendicitis symptoms, abdominal pain isn’t the only site. Some patients with this chronic condition may also experience:
- Abdominal swelling and tenderness
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- A general feeling of not feeling well or malaise
Again, not all patients with this chronic condition will have all these symptoms, and in some cases, some of these signs may randomly subside and return. This can make it a bit more challenging for medical experts to diagnose the condition accurately.
Still, because chronic appendicitis may have severe consequences, it’s imperative that people who are experiencing recurring pain in their abdominal areas, with the accompanying symptoms discussed above, seek medical help, especially if the symptoms tend to worsen over time.
Acute Vs. Chronic Appendicitis
Both of these conditions produce similar symptoms, but it’s still important to know the difference between them.
As mentioned above, chronic appendicitis refers to inflammation that lasts for longer, with the majority of the symptoms coming and going. If the condition is left undiagnosed, the symptoms may linger on even for years.
Acute appendicitis is similar, but the patient will suddenly develop severe symptoms in around one to two days. In the case of acute appendicitis, the symptoms are simply too severe to ignore and will require emergency treatment options.
In the case of an acute emergency, the first most obvious symptom is a pain in the abdomen, starting around the belly button’s area and slowly moving to the tummy’s lower right side. At first, the pain may be dull and mild but will intensify quickly.
Acute appendicitis will also have other symptoms, such as:
- Low-grade fever
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Nausea (often without vomiting)
- Not being able to pass gas
- Lack of appetite
This acute condition will often develop when something blocks the appendiceal lumen’s inner cavity in the appendix.
In the case of the chronic condition, usually, only a part of the appendiceal lumen is blocked, with the likelihood of worsening over time and pressure building up. The said pressure may overcome the partial blockage, resulting in subsiding or even disappearing symptoms. However, the symptoms will return when the blockage leads to inflammation again.
Chronic Appendicitis Treatment
More often than not, experts perform an appendectomy to treat this chronic condition. Before the procedure, the doctor will perform a physical examination of the abdominal area and ask several questions regarding the pain and other symptoms the patient might have. Also, they will ask several questions about the patient’s medical history.
Apart from that, experts will also perform a variety of tests in order to rule out other medical issues with the same signs.
These conditions include:
- Kidney infection
- UTI or urinary tract infection
- Ovarian cysts
- PID or pelvic inflammatory disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- IBS or irritable bowel syndrome
- Other gastrointestinal problems
The test performed might include:
- Pelvic exam
- Blood tests
- Pregnancy tests
- Urinalysis
- CG scan
- MRI
- Abdominal ultrasound
The doctor may recommend draining the pus that developed around the organ due to infection or prescribing antibiotics when diagnosing chronic appendicitis. Still, in most cases, experts will recommend removing the appendix as it is.
The procedure, appendectomy, is most often performed in a minimally invasive ay, through laparoscopic surgery or keyhole surgery, that’s performed under general anesthesia.
Appendicitis Complications
In some cases, chronic appendicitis may lead to complications which are:
- Developing acute appendicitis requiring immediate medical assistance
- Rupture of the appendix
- Pus develops around the organ
- Sepsis
These complications are all considered severe, and all will require immediate medical attention. As such, it’s crucial to seek medical help when patients are experiencing the symptoms of appendicitis.
Outlook
The symptoms of this chronic condition may come and go, which differs from acute appendicitis, which needs to be tended to by a medical expert as soon as possible. Still, this doesn’t mean that appendicitis that’s chronic in nature won’t have more severe complications.
Even if people feel only mild symptoms for a long time, they shouldn’t ignore the signs of the chronic problem. Recurring lower abdominal pain is one of the main symptoms and may signal other conditions as well.
Don’t ignore your symptoms if you’ve been experiencing recurring pain in the abdomen. Reach out to us and schedule an appointment to rule out anything severe.