The human anatomy is a complex network of cells, tissues and organs and systems with functions that keep it working.
But believe it, not everything inside your body has a known function. An example is the appendix.
The appendix is a thin pouch or tube joined to the large intestine. It sits in the lower right part of the abdomen. The exact function of the appendix is not known. If the appendix is removed from the body, no major or minor function is affected.
The John Hopkins University, USA, says when you are a young child, your appendix is a working part of your immune system, which helps your body to fight disease. But it says when you are older, your appendix stops doing this and other parts of your body keep helping to fight infection.
As insignificant as the appendix is, it can cause big problems when it is diseased. Appendicitis which is the inflammation of the appendix is a problem you wouldn’t pray to have. But it can happen anyone especially those whose ages fall between 10 and 30.
Appendicitis is caused by the blockage of the inside of the appendix. It may be caused by various infections such as virus, bacteria, or parasites, in the digestive tract. It can also happen when the appendix is blocked or trapped by stool. Tumours can also cause appendicitis.
Osun State And Its “Tough” New Helmsman
The appendix becomes sore and inflamed. As the soreness and swelling worsen, blood supply to it stops. The appendix then becomes swollen.
Appendicitis makes you have pain in your lower right abdomen. Sometimes, the pain starts from around the navel and then moves. If inflammation gets worse, the pain increases.
There are two types of appendicitis; the chronic and the acute. The chronic appendicitis can have milder symptoms that last for a long time. It can appear and disappear but reappear. It can even go undiagnosed for several weeks, months, or years.
However, acute appendicitis has more severe symptoms that appear suddenly within 24 to 48 hours. Therefore, it requires immediate treatment.
Usually, the treatment for appendicitis is a surgical procedure known as appendectomy or appendicetomy. It is simply the surgical removal of the appendix. The surgeon would decide whether it would be an open surgery or a laparoscopic one. Usually, appendectomy is carried out within 24 hours of the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
It is seen as an emergency because the appendix could rupture. The rupture of the appendix would lead to the spillage of its contents into the lining of the abdominal cavity. This condition is called peritonitis. And it is life threatening.
Treatment for peritonitis has to begin urgently, otherwise the sufferer may die.
