“Can appendicitis come on slowly in a child?”
My child is 8 years old. I want to know if appendicitis can come on slowly in a child?
2 Answers
The answer is yes, although this is unusual. More typically, appendicitis progresses steadily with central tummy pain around the navel changing over hours to days to severe pain in the child's right lower abdomen (your left side facing the child), very poor appetite to no appetite, vomiting, fever, and a sick looking child. Uncommon presentations of appendicitis in a child can include diarrhea, back pain, chest pain/cough, bladder/urinary pain, and even left-sided lower abdominal pain, depending on where the tip of the child's appendix is located internally - rectal colon, ascending right-sided colon, near the diaphragm, bladder, or left side of the pelvis. With increasing irritation to the lining of the abdomen, the peritoneum, the child will have tummy pain when walking, hopping, coughing, and riding in a car when the car jostles hitting potholes, and such. The child will often walk hunched over grabbing the tummy at this stage.
When you ask if appendicitis can come on slowly in your 8-year-old, I presume you might be asking can lingering tummy ache in an otherwise well-looking child be appendicitis. Again yes, although in my experience this is unusual. A more common explanation for lingering tummy ache in an otherwise well child is constipation, especially if this pain is intermittent. A good appetite almost always is a clue against appendicitis as are episodes of wellness between tummy aches.
Other important causes for lingering, intermittent tummy aches can include bullying, abuse, and other subtle and hard to recognize psychological stresses.
If your child is well with lingering or intermittent tummy aches, you will need the help of a physician and an examination to figure this out.
Best regards,
Dr. T
When you ask if appendicitis can come on slowly in your 8-year-old, I presume you might be asking can lingering tummy ache in an otherwise well-looking child be appendicitis. Again yes, although in my experience this is unusual. A more common explanation for lingering tummy ache in an otherwise well child is constipation, especially if this pain is intermittent. A good appetite almost always is a clue against appendicitis as are episodes of wellness between tummy aches.
Other important causes for lingering, intermittent tummy aches can include bullying, abuse, and other subtle and hard to recognize psychological stresses.
If your child is well with lingering or intermittent tummy aches, you will need the help of a physician and an examination to figure this out.
Best regards,
Dr. T
Yes, it can.
Mike
Mike
