gastointestinal conditions
Last reviewed 01/2018
Gastrointestinal conditions resembling acute appendicitis include:
- mesenteric adenitis
- pain is less severe and is localised above and medial to McBurney's points
- often in children
- history of respiratory tract infection
- usually pyrexial - more than 38.5 deg.C
- acute regional ileitis:
- diarrhoea is a common association, but may occur with appendicitis where it is usually early in the course of the illness and transient
- may be caused by Yersinia or Campylobacter
- gastroenteritis not confined to the ileum usually is characterised by generalised pain and tenderness
- constipation:
- characterised by colicky abdominal pain and iliac tenderness
- the history is often longer than 3 days
- there are no symptoms or signs of infection and rectum is loaded with faeces
- volvulus or intussusception