August 15, 2024 –As the new school year begins, it’s common for children to experience nervous stomach aches. However, did you know that these symptoms could sometimes be a sign of something more serious, like appendicitis? Appendicitis is an emergency, so it's important to know what to look for and get medical care right away. Christopher Gitzelmann, MD, chief of Pediatric Surgery at The Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, part of the Children’s Health network at RWJBarnabas Health, answers common questions to help you understand what an appendix is and how to watch for further signs.
What is appendicitis and what causes it?
When the appendix, a small organ attached to the large intestine, gets blocked, too much bacteria can grow and cause an infection. Some of the things that might block the appendix are hard, rock-like stool, swollen lymph nodes in the intestines or parasites. Appendicitis commonly affects kids and teens between 5 and 20 years old.
What are the signs and symptoms of appendicitis?
The first signs of appendicitis are often a mild fever and pain around the belly button. It might seem like a stomach ache. But with appendicitis, the pain gets worse and moves to the lower right side of the belly. If your child has belly pain, be on the lookout for these signs:
- Strong pain, mainly around the belly button and then moves to the lower right part of the belly.
- Low-grade fever
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea/Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Swollen belly
What should I do if I think my child might have appendicitis?
Please call your primary doctor or go to your nearest emergency department. To find out if a child has appendicitis, a doctor will examine the belly for signs of pain. The doctor will likely order blood tests and an ultrasound, or a CT scan.
How is appendicitis treated?
Appendicitis is usually treated by the surgeon taking out the infected appendix in surgery. This is called an appendectomy. Most of the time, surgeons use a small device called a laparoscope to remove the appendix through a small cut on the belly. Kids who get this surgery usually go home the same day or the next morning. Sometimes appendicitis is treated with antibiotics only.
There is no way to prevent appendicitis. But when kids get the right medical care quickly, doctors usually find and treat it without problems.
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