Appendicitis

Question 1

What is the most common abdominal surgical emergency?

Answer 1

Appendicitis
Common between the ages of 10 to 35 with most common between 20 to 35
both sexes are affected equally

Question 2

How does appendicitis occur?

Answer 2

Typically occurs due to some sort of blockage of the lumen of the appendix
blockage of the lumen causes buildup of mucous cells that would have otherwise sloughed off the walls of the appendix lumen and expelled via feces
the lumen becomes full of these sloughed off cells and begins to expand
eventually the appandix will expand so much as to outgrow its blood supply resulting in necrosis and eventual perforation of the appendix
concurrently the dead cell build-up in the lumen is prone for infection by intra-intestinal bacteria

Question 3

What are the majority of luminal blockages caused by?

Answer 3

fecalith
immune response expansion of lymph tissue
viral infections
vaccinations(rota-virus) seen in young children
neoplasm