What is appendicitis?
Appendix is a finger-sized, thin sac or pouch structure, located at the lower end of the large intestine. It is present in the lower right area of the abdomen. While it does not play any potential role in adults, it may have an immune-function in young children. Inflammation of the appendix is known as appendicitis.
Appendicitis is often confused with epiploic appendagitis, (also known as appendicitis epiploica or epiplopericolitis), an inflammatory condition of the large intestine, as both these conditions cause a sudden pain in the abdomen..
What are the types of appendicitis?
Acute Appendicitis– Sudden appendix pain in the abdomen.
Sub-Acute Appendicitis– The pain of acute appendicitis tends to subside spontaneously.
Chronic Appendicitis– An old, healed acute appendicitis, shows scarring and thickening of the walls.
Recurrent Appendicitis– Episodes of pain which re-occur after subsiding.
Non-Obstructive Appendicitis– Not critical, however, in some cases it may cause swelling and thickening of membrane that covers all abdominal organs.This is called as peritonitis