What are the symptoms of acute appendicitis

The occurrence of acute appendicitis will cause pain around the upper abdomen, and the patient will also experience nausea, vomiting, and other problems. At the same time, there will be a low fever. As the condition worsens, the patient may have a fever as high as 38 degrees or above.

1. Abdominal pain

Typical acute appendicitis begins with pain in the upper middle abdomen or around the umbilicus. After a few hours, the pain shifts and becomes fixed in the right lower abdomen. In the early stage, it is a visceral nerve reflex pain, so the pain in the upper and middle abdomen and around the umbilicus is diffuse and often cannot be accurately located. When the inflammation spreads to the serosa and parietal peritoneum, the pain is fixed in the right lower abdomen because the latter are innervated by receptor nerves, are sensitive to pain and have precise localization. The original pain in the upper abdomen or around the umbilicus is alleviated or disappears. Therefore, the absence of a typical history of migratory right lower quadrant pain does not exclude acute appendicitis.

2. Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting due to reflex gastric spasm. Complications of peritonitis and intestinal paralysis can cause abdominal distension and persistent vomiting.

What are the symptoms of acute appendicitis?

3. Pressure pain and rebound pain

The most obvious pain during an attack is pressure pain and rebound pain. There is obvious pressing pain in the right lower abdomen, and the pain is more obvious when raising the hand.

4. Fever

At the beginning, it is mainly a low fever, with the temperature between 37 and 38 degrees. As the condition and infection worsen, the fever rises to above 38 degrees.

5. Plate-like abdomen

The pain is severe and the abdominal muscles are tense. This sign will appear when the appendix becomes purulent, and the abdominal muscle tension will be particularly obvious when gangrene perforation is complicated by peritonitis. However, the abdominal muscles of elderly or obese patients are weaker, so the contralateral abdominal muscles must be checked at the same time for comparison to determine whether there is abdominal tension.