Patient's question:
Please ask, my daughter is 8 years old. Since last Wednesday, she has occasionally had abdominal pain accompanied by nausea, loss of appetite, and poor spirits. The pain is in the upper part of the navel. Is it appendicitis?Doctor's answer:
Appendicitis in children usually occurs suddenly. In some cases, children experience abdominal pain from the onset of the illness to the point where the appendix becomes inflamed, infected, and gangrenous (gangrene, which is essentially rotting and smelly), all within a very short time, sometimes worsening within just two days. Based on your child's condition, if it is appendicitis, it is likely chronic appendicitis. Although the affected area of appendicitis is small, diagnosis relies on the doctor's assessment of the patient's symptoms and a thorough physical examination to confirm the diagnosis.From what you've described, it's difficult to determine whether it is appendicitis. The symptoms of appendicitis generally include:
- Abdominal pain, specifically migrating right lower abdominal pain, accompanied by digestive and systemic symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and fever.
- Physical examination may reveal right lower abdominal tenderness and rebound tenderness. In more severe cases, the entire abdomen may be tender.