appendicitis

Diverticulosis is the most common disease of the intestine.

Appendicitis is the top cause of emergency abdominal surgery.

Gallbladder disease is the top cause of non-emergency abdominal surgery.

And heart disease, the most common cause of death in the United States, is also a rarity in plant-based populations.

These podcasts are based on the YouTube videos and PDFs are available on recessmedicine.com. Appendicitis is inflammation of the vermiform appendix, a small, blind-ended tube coming off the cecum in the right lower part of the abdomen.

It's one of the most common causes of seeking emergency review for abdominal pain, and while it can happen at any age, it's most common between the ages of 10 and 30, with a slight male predominance of approximately 1.4 to 1.

As mentioned, the appendix is a small tube, and appendicitis is usually the result of an obstruction of the lumen of the appendix.

Once the lumen is blocked, mucus continues to be secreted distal to the obstruction, causing progressive distension of the obstructed appendix.

This raises both the intraluminal as well as the intramural pressure.

while a palpable mass is more suggestive of a contained peri-appendiceal abscess.

It is important to note that more than half of patients don't follow the classic pattern, and presentation can be especially atypical in young children, pregnant patients and the elderly, where pain is often less severe and localised.

When the history and examination are classic, appendicitis is largely a clinical diagnosis, meaning imaging is not required to make the diagnosis, although imaging is commonly used in older patients due to the higher risk of alternative diagnoses.

Ooh! Enjoy the episode.

Appendicitis, hey, ticking time bomb.

Everyone should just get their appendix out.

Yeah, why do we have it?