Appendicitis Causes
Appendicitis is the result of appendix inflammation, and in this condition an obstruction is formed at the opening of the appendix. The major causes of this blockage can be the stool of cecum or the thick mucus into the appendix. Any kind of infection in stomach or obstruction may cause the blockage in the appendix.
Infections
However, the exact causes of appendicitis are not clear, but fecal material is also responsible for the obstruction in some cases. The infections caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites or fungi are mostly contribute in building the appendix wall. When the bacteria enter into the appendix, they increase in numbers. Here, they swell and fill the appendix by pus.
These agents of infections may include adenovirus, actinomycosis, Yersina species, Mycobactreria species, Schistosoma species, Histoplasma species, pinworms, strongyloides stercoralis and cytomegalovirus. The tissue swelling from the bowl disease like Crohn's disease also can be responsible for appendicitis.
Obstruction
The obstruction in appendix opening is due to the mucus or stool build wall. When the stool or mucus gets harden, they become like the rocks and block the opening in the appendix. The wall built due to the mucus and stools is called fecalith. In some of the cases of appendicitis, it is found that lymphatic tissues also block the opening and swell in the appendix. When this blockage occurs in the appendix, the bacteria start to attack on the wall built in appendix. The body reacts against this action of bacteria and attack on the bacteria, and this attack creates inflammation in the appendix.
Rupture of Appendix
It is considered as the initial causes of appendix. The appendix is ruptured due to inflammation or the changes in lymphatic tissues. After this rupture, the bacteria begin to spread outside appendix and surround the intestine. Although, these bacteria are limited to a small area in the appendix and the close areas of appendix, this infection combined rupture contributes to the appendicitis at the end.
In some appendicitis cases, the body remains unaffected by this rupture and bacteria. In this case, the surgical intervention is not necessary to recover from this symptom of appendicitis.
Worms
However, this is not found in most of the cases of appendicitis, but it is common among the people who are infected with the worms that block the intestine and lumen. This happens to in the cases where the blood supply is reduced to appendix. The two common worms Pinworm and Schitosomiasis are mostly related to this situation of appendicitis.
Tumor
Tumor is rarely found as the cause of appendicitis in elder people. The tumor that contributes to the appendicitis can be derived from the appendix or sometimes it may have come from another area in the body. The most common Characinoid tumors type is associated with the appendicitis.
To conclude, all the factors that cause appendicitis in different situations can be healed by different treatment methods. The identification of the causes of the appendicitis plays an important role while determining the treatment option.
