Detecting appendicitis

Pediatrician Alan Nager, MD, MHA, shares health advice for parents on the symptoms of appendicitis and how to tell if your child may have appendicitis
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Detecting appendicitis

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Appendicitis has a whole host of signs and symptoms, but the most common is abdominal pain – frequently in the right lower quadrant just above the thigh on the right side – vomiting and usually fever. Now, having said that, kids can have appendicitis without fever, sometimes without vomiting, but the commonality is that the child typically has abdominal pain localized to that right lower side. Appendicitis is also somewhat more variable in very young children. So for instance, in children under 5, the abdominal pain is often more diffuse, it's kind of across the abdomen, the fever tends to be a little higher. They usually present with more vomiting, sometimes mistaken for a viral disease like a viral flu. So it's well known that young children who present with appendicitis sometimes have signs and symptoms that are different than let's say the older children who more classically have the vomiting, fever and right lower quadrant tenderness.

Pediatrician Alan Nager, MD, MHA, shares health advice for parents on the symptoms of appendicitis and how to tell if your child may have appendicitis

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Alan Nager, MD, MHA

Pediatrician, Emergency Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Dr. Alan Nager is Head of the Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Nager received his undergraduate degree in Public Heath and Child Psychology, his graduate degree in Healthcare Administration, his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School and his training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  He has lectured extensively on a variety of emergency medicine topics, appeared numerous times in the media, and published extensively on topics such as dehydration, trauma, mental health, disaster preparedness, etc. He has also authored a children’s book entitled, Angels in Action: One Day in the Emergency Department.

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Transcription: 
Appendicitis has a whole host of signs and symptoms, but the most common is abdominal pain – frequently in the right lower quadrant just above the thigh on the right side – vomiting and usually fever. Now, having said that, kids can have appendicitis without fever, sometimes without vomiting, but the commonality is that the child typically has abdominal pain localized to that right lower side. Appendicitis is also somewhat more variable in very young children. So for instance, in children under 5, the abdominal pain is often more diffuse, it's kind of across the abdomen, the fever tends to be a little higher. They usually present with more vomiting, sometimes mistaken for a viral disease like a viral flu. So it's well known that young children who present with appendicitis sometimes have signs and symptoms that are different than let's say the older children who more classically have the vomiting, fever and right lower quadrant tenderness.