LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Appendicitis: Infections
built 643 days ago
Appendicitis usually occurs following an infection in the digestive tract, or when the tube connecting the large intestine and appendix is blocked by trapped feces or food. The resulting inflammation can lead to infection or rupture of the appendix.
Source:
Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes blocked, often by stool, a foreign body, or cancer. Blockage may ... occur from infection, since the appendix swells in response to any infection in the body.
Source:
Obstruction of the inside of the appendix by fecal matter or food waste is the usual cause of appendicitis. The blockage leads to increased pressure, impaired blood flow, and inflammation. Appendicitis can ... develop after an infection in the digestive tract that leads to swelling of lymph nodes, which squeeze the appendix causing obstruction or inflammation. Appendicitis occasionally runs in families. If so, it may be due to some genetic variation that predisposes a person to develop the types of blockage that cause the inflammation. Appendicitis usually comes on quickly with little warning and worsens over a period of six to 12 hours.
Source:
The cause of appendicitis is generally unknown, but the leading theory is that obstruction of the appendiceal orifice is the inciting factor. Obstruction may come from fecalmatter lodged in the appendix, impaction of mucous, a small tumor (such as a carcinoid), or even a small blood clot. Viral infections, which can cause ulceration of the lining, can ... lead to obstruction of the appendix through enlargement of lymph nodes in its walls, a possible explaination for seasonal variations in rates of appendicitis and clustering of cases. Regardless of the cause, obstruction of the appendix may lead to progressive appendiceal distension. This distension increases the pressure within the appendix, which in turn impairs its blood supply. Deprived of blood, the appendix loses the ability to fight infection and fecalbacterialbegin to grow out of control.
Source:
NeutroSpec(R) is Palatin's proprietary radiolabeled monoclonal antibody imaging agent for the diagnosis of equivocal appendicitis. NeutroSpec is marketed and distributed by Palatin's strategic collaboration partner, Tyco Healthcare Mallinckrodt, a business unit of Tyco Healthcare. NeutroSpec includes a technetium-labeled anti-CD 15 monoclonal antibody which selectively binds to a type of white blood cell, neutrophils, involved in the immune response. When injected into the blood stream, the antibody binds to neutrophils present at the infection site, labeling these cells with a radioactive tracer. As a result, physicians can rapidly image and detect infection using a gamma camera, a common piece of hospital equipment that records radioactivity.
Source:
The number of cases where children have died from appendicitis has decreased over the past 3 decades to the point where it is now almost never the cause of death. The availability of excellent antibiotics along with the availability of CT scans have made deaths from appendicitis almost unheard of and the incidence certainly <1%. Infection of the incision after an appendectomy is a fairly rare complication (3%). Abscesses (pus pockets) are ... fairly uncommon (<5%) and can usually be managed by draining the pus with a needle placed while watching the CT, drainage through the rectum, or continued antibiotic administration in the case of multiple, small pus pockets. There is a 3% to 5% risk of small bowel obstruction (blockage) after appendicitis and appendectomy. Currently, >90% of children operated upon for appendicitis indeed have the disease.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Infections