Patho The appendix is a small finger like attachment hooked to the cecum of the large intestine in the lower right portion of the abdomen. It has long been regarded as useless in today’s population, a “hanger on,” from a time of the past when it served some unknown function. Due to a lack of symptoms after its removal, that theory has been generally accepted. There are, however, theories developing that the appendix is used as a safe haven for the normal flora of the gut. These theories claim that when the good bacteria that normally prevent the infestation of pathogenic bacteria is washed out, the good bacteria housed in the appendix repopulates the intestines in order to prevent further bowel disruption (http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/v111/n2/full/ajg2015301a.html) Regardless of the appendix’s unique purpose in the body when it becomes inflamed and infected the main treatment is removal. Inflammation of the appendix is most commonly seen in the young population between the ages of 10 and 30 years of age. Despite this, acute appendicitis can happen at any age from infancy to geriatric. Appendicitis occurs more in males in the ages of 10-20 years, but the distribution between male and females is even in all other ages (Schub, T., & Kornusky, J. (2016). Appendicitis, Acute. CINAHL Nursing Guide) Risk factors for appendicitis include chronic bowel disorders such as ulcerative colitis and Chrons disease. Eating a diet too low fiber can also be a contributor
ABDOMEN: The lung basis appeared unremarkable. The liver, spleen, gallbladder, adrenals, kidneys and pancreas and abdominal aorta appeared unremarkable. The bowels seen on the study appeared thickened. Dilated appendix seen constant with acute appendicitis. Osseous structures of the abdomen appeared unremarkable. No free air was seen.
Abdomen: The lipases appeared unremarkable. The liver, spleen, gallbladder adrenals, kidneys, pancreas and abdominal aorta appeared unremarkable. The bowels seen on the study appeared thickened. Dilated appendix seemed consistent with acute appendicitis. All the structures of the abdomen appeared unremarkable. No free air was seen.
If you're like many other people (including myself till I started researching this), you might only have a vague idea about what a healthy gut is. You likely know there are bacteria in your gut, that antibiotics destroy those bacteria and that you need to eat yogurt to put those bacteria back. You likely don't know you need to eat special yogurt containing active live cultures to bring bacteria back in your
It is believed that aging has something to do with compromising the muscle tone of the colonic wall; people aged 50 and over are most at risk for diverticulosis and diverticulitis. It is believed that high fat diets and obesity also play a role in developing diverticular disease.
The inflammation in diverticulitis is believed to be the result of fecal material that gets trapped in a diverticulum. The resulting fecal stone, or fecalith, causes pressure and necrosis of the diverticulum. The inflammation progresses and perforates into the mucosa of the colon. A small perforation is easily treated with antibiotics. A large perforation may wall off and create an abscess which can erode into nearby structures such as the small bowel or bladder, anterior abdominal wall, and fecal peritonitis can occur. (textbook)
Edna, T., Talabani, A. J., Lydersen, S., & Endreseth, B. H. (2014). Survival after acute colon diverticulitis treated in hospital. International Journal of Colorectal Disease,29(11), 1361-1367. doi:10.1007/s00384-014-1946-3
Sakeenah is 14 years old African american girl, she comes to the University of Michigan Pediatric Gastroenterology clinic on 5/22/2018 complaining of abdominal pain. She is accompanied mom and dad today and she provides the interval medical history, She states that the pain started month ago, epigastric, and occasionally radiate to right side, described as squeezing or burning pain. She states that the pain is on/off, in scale of 7-8/10, occur more in the morning. The pain lasts few hours several time a day. She feels that "food sits in my stomach and doesn't digest." Sakeenah states that pain is worse when she eating a grassy food, she stop eating it for a while and the pain seems
Patient might experience mild or sever pain, crampy, and aching that is similar to appendicitis. Passing of gas or stool elimination may reduce the adverse effect of pain. According to spivak & deSouza (2008), patient that are of high risk are those with the history of low-fiber diet, constipation, high intake of red meat, severe dehydration, and aging. The diagnostic tests are barium enema which determines number of diverticula, CBC indicates present of anemia, colonoscopy exposes present of diverticula, CT scan reveals changes in the colon wall, GI bleeding scan that identifies active bleeding, and CBC with differential reveals leukocytosis.
BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM: The condition of diverticulosis occurs when small areas of tissue form pouches in the large intestine or colon called diverticulum, or diverticula (plural). Diverticula may occur due to the lack of bulk forming and bacteria producing fiber, resulting in an imbalance of certain intestinal bacteria, increasing internal pressure on the intestinal tissue due to poor stool formation, constipation, or straining to pass stools. In the paper Low-Residue Diet in Diverticular Disease: Putting an End to a Myth it was stated that “fiber is an important energy substrate for the colonic epithelium because of its fermentation by colonic microbes to short-chain fatty acids, which in turn play a role in mucosal growth and colonic blood flow” (Tarleton, DiBaise 2011). Poor tissue health and increased internal pressure may cause the intestinal tissue to herniate causing diverticulum to form. Diverticulitis can occur when material or bacteria becoming trapped inside the diverticulum, and inflammation
Children ages 10-19 years are most commonly diagnosed with appendicitis. Appendicitis is often more difficult to diagnose in children than adults, because of this about 10-20 percent of kids with appendicitis will suffer from a perforated appendix before being treated. When the appendix is blocked, it becomes inflamed and bacteria can overgrow in it. Blockage can be due to stool, inflammation of lymph nodes in the intestines, or infections like parasites. A perforated appendix is one of the complications of acute appendicitis. If appendicitis is left untreated, ischemic necrosis of a portion of appendixes wall may occur, leading to perforation. This then allows the contents in the appendix to leak out into the rest of the abdomen, potentially causing other infections, such as septicemia. This can be a life threatening
In this study, out of 112 patients operated for acute non perforated appendicitis, 72 patients were male and 40 patients were female, a ratio of 1.8:1. The patients' age ranged from 18 to 55 years with a mean age of 26 years, the majority of cases lie in a range between 20-32 years. As shown in Table 1, there is no significant difference regarding patients' age, sex, medical comorbidities (diabetes, liver disease, renal disease, hyperlipidemia, heart disease), fever, leukocytosis, radiologic findings (appendiceal diameter, presence of free fluid) or operative time between the two groups.
Can an appendix burst due to a punch to the abdomen? Harry Houdini was a beloved illusionist and stunt performer that came to America in 1878. He had done many spectacular performance and shows throughout the world. Through these performances he gained respect from many people, but one thing that was left a mystery was Houdini’s death. For a healthy man to die in his fifties at that time period is highly questionable.
Did you know that according to Harvard Health publications, one in every ten Americans over the age of forty has Diverticulosis? Statistics have also shown that after forty, the chances of developing diverticulosis can keep increasing every ten years. Once a person develops diverticulosis, it is estimated that one out of seven will also develop a secondary condition called diverticulitis. Diverticulitis is a commonly seen in the elderly, with less than twenty percent of cases occurring in people under the age of fifty. Diverticulitis affects both women and men equally and is mainly seen in people who have a diet that is low in fiber. Obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, and a diet high in animal fats can also be contributing
The appendix is a tubed shaped organ attached to the lower end of the large intestine. For a long period of time, the appendix was seen as a vestigial structure in the human body. However, scientists began to perform experiments in order to discover that the appendix might actually have a true purpose in the human body. It is hypothesized today that this structure might assist in the role of storing good bacteria in the body. The two articles discussed in this paper explain two author’s differing hypotheses of how the function of the appendix actually evolved to what it is today.
In the recent article, Appendix may have important function, new research suggests, by Midwestern University, researchers have released new information regarding the importance of the human appendix. New research has suggested that the appendix actually holds beneficial stomach bacteria. Dr. Heather Smith has been researching the appendix for some time now, and she has finally made a huge breakthrough. After examining 533 different species of mammals, Dr. Smith has uncovered that animals with appendix’ have shown a higher concentration in immune tissues in the cecum. This finding points to the theory that the appendix actually acts like a second immune system by housing millions of helpful bacteria. This is still