Gastointestinal conditions

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