Abdominal pain is not uncommon in children; some of them however have a higher significance than others and parents must be attentive to localization and duration of banal appearing stomachaches. If abdominal pains intensify, become sharper and localize in the lower right abdomen quadrant, the diagnosis is most frequently appendicitis and requires surgery.

Inflammation of the appendix is most common in children of six and more but can occur also in smaller children which cannot clearly relate their symptoms so appendicitis can become an immediate surgical emergency in order to avoid complications. Parents must be informed about common symptoms in appendicitis and be able to recognize them early and call a pediatrician. Doctors are equipped with additional diagnose methods and are able to establish a precise diagnose even in small children unable to talk about their symptoms.

Ultrasonography and computer tomography have proved most accurate and reliable for diagnosing appendicitis in children with classical symptoms; the methods can be however misleading when symptoms related to appendicitis are too low or too strong. Both technologies can offer important data on the organic condition of appendix and abdominal cavity.

The appendix is a short annexe of the part of the large intestines called colon. When it becomes obstructed, inflammation and infection occur due the growth of bacterial microorganisms. The appendix has a low function for the body as it only contains a few particles with role in the immune system. Appendicitis commonly occurs in children and young persons but can theoretically appear at any age. In spite of its negligible importance, an inflamed appendix can create major complications if left untreated; the first possible danger in case of appendicitis is appendicle perforation when the appendix bursts inside the abdominal cavity and leads to peritonitis.

The most important symptom of appendicitis is abdominal pain with intensification within the first hours and which usually localize in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. Pains intensify while moving, sneezing, coughing or being touched in the particular sensitive area. Especially in small children, pains may be misleading as they can localize in other parts of the abdomen; this is why most of the appendicitis cases in children below 5 evolve with appendix perforation.

Accompaniment symptoms of appendicitis are nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever, loss of appetite and diarrhea or constipation according to case. Acute appendicitis is a surgical emergency due to the possible complications it can produce. If you suspect appendicitis in your child, call his pediatrician at once. The only treatment for appendicitis is appendicectomy, the removal of the appendix.