The appendix does its job. Appendicitis - general information, anatomy. What now

Not far from the junction of the small intestine with the large intestine, the caecum has a process called the appendix. This formation has an elongated worm-like shape, an average length of 8-10 cm, and ends in a blind way. For each person, the appendix differs in length and localization features, but for all it is located in the right iliac region (in rare cases, on the left, with a “mirror” body anatomy).

Structure and functions

In most people, the appendix, starting from the caecum, goes down (45% of cases). If its length is sufficient, then it can penetrate into the pelvic cavity. This, when it is inflamed, leads to a “low” localization of the pain syndrome and involvement in the inflammatory process. Bladder or uterus and appendages. The lateral and medial location of the appendix (on the sides of the caecum) occurs with the same frequency (20-25% each). Most rarely, in 10% of cases, it is located in an ascending manner, which also affects the localization and irradiation of pain.

The longest appendix ever removed was 26 cm long and belonged to a patient from Zagreb, Croatia.

The length of the appendix varies greatly. The smallest is 2-3 cm, the largest is up to 15 cm. Despite these differences, the structure of the process is the same for all people. Its walls consist of the same layers as the wall of the large intestine: the inner epithelial layer (mucosa), the submucosal layer, muscular and serous, with which the appendix is covered from the outside. In addition, this outer connective tissue layer passes into the mesentery, which provides blood supply and innervation to the appendix.

It is believed that the appendix is a rudimentary organ, which in the process of evolution has lost its main purpose: to be a full-fledged component of the digestive tract and participate in the digestion of food. Gradually, it became smaller and thinner, but still remained essential for other important functions. Studies have established that the submucosal layer of the process walls contains a huge number of small formations consisting of lymphoid tissue. This is precisely the confirmation of the main function of the appendix: participation in the creation of a sufficient level of human immunity.

Drawing from Grey's Anatomy

This kind of “intestinal tonsil” differentiates lymphocytes that protect a person from infections, is a “factory for the production” of beneficial intestinal microorganisms, and produces some intestinal enzymes. It has been established that children who have lost their appendix develop worse physically and mentally, more often suffer from infectious pathologies.

IN currently It is widely believed that this body performs at least 3 functions:

secretory (produces amylase and lipase);
protective (contains many lymphoid formations);
hormonal (produces hormones involved in the work of intestinal sphincters and peristalsis).

Causes of inflammation

The appendix performs, first of all, a protective barrier function, saving the body from pathogenic bacterial microflora. But in some cases, he can become a "victim" of the infection, taking on its brunt. When it turns out to be stronger than the capabilities of the lymphoid tissue, inflammation begins in the walls of the appendix. At first it is catarrhal in nature, then quickly acquires purulent features, becoming phlegmonous or gangrenous.

This is facilitated by factors such as impaired drainage of the appendix cavity. It is already small in size, and if intestinal contents enter it with a huge amount of bacteria or fecal stone and in the presence of fibrous adhesions, it is not cleaned at all. As a result, acute appendicitis develops very quickly. In some cases, inflammation begins when there is damage or thrombosis of the mesenteric arteries.

Acute appendicitis has become increasingly common over the past decades. This is facilitated by changes, both in human nutrition and in the immunological sphere, the emergence of more autoimmune and allergic diseases.

It is believed that a person does not need an appendix. Allegedly, this is a rudimentary appendage that does not perform any function. This is an erroneous opinion. Today we will figure out why an appendix is needed, whether there is any benefit from it, what happens to a person who does not have it.

A bit of anatomy

Appendix (vermiform appendix) - a small section of the intestine of an oblong cylindrical shape. The size of the appendix varies. Once an operation was performed and a 25 cm long process was cut out, but this is an anomaly. The average size of the process is 6-10 centimeters.

The appendage is located on the posterolateral wall of the caecum at the level of the iliac part of the right side of the person. It has a downward direction (descends into the pelvic cavity). This determines the nature of pain during inflammation of appendicitis - on palpation sharp pains felt in the right lower abdomen.

The location of the appendix may be different, which is not an anomaly. The process is not rigidly attached, so it can change location. For example, in pregnant women, the enlarged uterus often squeezes out the process, it changes direction to outgoing (its tip begins to “look” up). Moreover, there are cases when appendices are attached not to the right side of the caecum, but to the left. This does not affect human health, but is an obstacle in the diagnosis of exacerbation of appendicitis.

Lost Features

In human ancestors, the appendix was a full-fledged organ that performs important functions. The purpose of the appendix was that it accumulated and processed the cellulose obtained from hard plant foods.

Man in the process of evolution has significantly changed eating habits, began to consume digestible food with a lower content of cellulose. Gradually, the process of the caecum lost the function of a "storage reservoir" and is no longer vital for modern man.

So maybe we don't need this appendage at all? History says it's not...

History experience

In the last century, American doctors decided that the function of the appendix does not exist, it only provokes inflammation, and it is better to immediately remove it from a person. Doctors in the United States began to practice mass excision of appendixes in newborns. Within a few years, hundreds of babies were operated on. As a result, they found that children who had a healthy appendix removed had health problems:

The predisposition to eating disorders increased by 24%.
Cases of lactose and gluten intolerance have doubled.
The risk of developing dysbacteriosis increased by 26%.
Resistance infectious diseases decreased by 21%.

Thus, it turned out: the role of the appendix in the work of the intestines and immune resistance is high. It is impossible to remove the process without the need - this will not become a threat to human life, but will affect health.

Involved in digestion

Participation in digestion is the first thing an appendix is needed for. Direct splitting of food and its movement through the intestines in the appendix does not occur. Its digestive function is secondary: it does not participate in the process, but helps it.

The appendix contains a large number of bacteria that perform various tasks. Their deficiency provokes the risk of inflammatory processes, causes dysbacteriosis, intestinal disorders. For example, people with an appendix removed suffer from diarrhea much more often than people with a whole appendix.

The role of the protector of the body

It has been scientifically found that people without an appendix are prone to infectious diseases. In addition, it has been found that people with a healthy appendix cope better with inflammation in the intestines than people without it. The fact is that the appendix contains many lymphoid ILC cells. It is these cells that provide protective functions in infectious lesions.

By the way, lymphoid cells help a person fight cancer. This, of course, does not mean that having an appendix completely protects against cancer, but it certainly increases the chances of recovery. For example, the ILC cells found in the appendix help to better tolerate chemotherapy. The body remains stronger, which allows it to fight cancer cells more intensively, and make chemotherapy itself more effective.

Losing is not scary

So, we briefly described why a person needs an appendix. His appointment is not direct, but quite important. Naturally, the question arises: how much does a person without appendicitis risk?

Having lost the appendix, the body loses a small helper, becomes vulnerable to intestinal inflammation and infections. But now it’s not as scary as a couple of centuries ago, when epidemics were more common, and the drugs were weaker (treated mainly with natural remedies).

If a modern person's intestinal microflora is disturbed due to the lack of beneficial bacteria or cells produced by the appendix, it is easy to restore it with the help of medications. The main thing is to understand that with a cut out appendix, a person becomes a little more vulnerable, and take all measures to protect their health.

Experiencing pain in the lower right corner of the abdomen, we often think: what if the appendix? Many people know what appendicitis is, therefore, when pain appears in the area of \u200b\u200bits location, people immediately begin to wind themselves up and make false diagnoses. For the most part, our fears are not confirmed, such pain may be an echo of a simple indigestion. It could also be a sign of a stomach infection. But it could also be appendicitis. Therefore, it is important to know its main symptoms and what causes them. But let's go in order.

Appendix: what is it?

This is the name of the appendix of the rectum. Not all mammals have such a formation; cats, for example, do not have it, but it is present in the human body, monkeys and rabbits. It performs protective functions, is part of the immune system, in particular, restores the intestinal microflora.

The appendix is a kind of "nursery" for beneficial bacteria involved in digestion. Its role for the intestines is similar to that of the tonsils for respiratory system. But for people who have survived an appendectomy, in other words, the removal of the appendix, it is more difficult to restore the microflora after diseases with infections than for those who have this organ.

Peritonitis

As you probably know, the described disease can be fatal. If you start an inflamed process, then it can burst from the pus that overflows it. And all the contents will enter the abdominal cavity, where irreversible inflammation - peritonitis - can begin. Sometimes, unfortunately, medical errors are made, and a patient with high fever and acute pain in the abdomen is placed in the infectious diseases department, losing precious time to establish the true cause of the pain. Therefore, it is better to describe to the doctor all the symptoms, even if they are not too significant, in your opinion. It would be useful to say directly that you suspect you have appendicitis.

note

You may not show the main symptoms, but even a high fever, vomiting, or constipation can already be a sign of appendicitis. Sometimes, for example, with appendicitis, there is no high temperature, only in babies this indicator is able to rise high with any inflammatory process. You may also experience completely non-standard symptoms, such as: “seizes” the lower back, a painful sensation in the genitourinary organs. This is due to the fact that the appendix is located near these areas of the body, and pain can radiate to them.

In infants, pregnant women, the elderly, organ transplant patients, obesity, diabetes, cancer, HIV infection, it is very difficult to determine this disease! Even ordinary fatigue can be a sign in these individuals. In older people, appendicitis can be a reason for exacerbating chronic pathologies.

Conclusion

We have analyzed what are the symptoms of a disease such as appendicitis. How to check the presence of this pathology in men, women and children, you now know. The most important thing that we wanted to convey with this article is that do not ignore any malfunctions in your body, because they can be a signal of a serious illness.

A kind of rudiment, an obsolete organ that we inherited from herbivorous monkeys. Such conclusions were made on the basis that predatory animals do not have an appendix at all, while herbivores, for example, cows, have it extremely developed. This attitude towards a small appendage of the cecum persisted for more than 100 years. There have been cases when the appendix was excised at birth, in order to avoid further unpleasant consequences. But the human body is a single, interconnected system in which there is nothing superfluous. Removal or failure of one organ is compensated by an increased load on other organs and on the whole organism as a whole. And although the appendix seems to be part of the digestive system, it does not take part in this process. This small ten-centimeter process has a different function.

What is the appendix and what is its role in the body

The appendix is part of the lymphatic system, and is directly involved in the functioning of the immune system, that is, the system that opposes various diseases. Observations revealed that those children whose appendix was cut out in early childhood significantly lagged behind in mental and physical development from their peers. And most importantly, people with a remote appendix get sick much more often than those who have this organ functioning safely. American researchers from Duke University also came to the conclusion that the appendix is a kind of breeding farm for the gastrointestinal tract.

The process is inserted into the cecum, through a small lumen, microorganisms enter the gastrointestinal tract, but the intestinal contents cannot penetrate from the gastrointestinal tract into the appendix, due to which the cavity of the lymphatic organ remains free. The appendix produces amylase and lipase, which are involved in digestion, in the breakdown of fats, and the hormone serotonin, which is called the hormone of happiness. Serotonin, along with other functions, is involved in the work of sphincters and intestinal motility.

Etiology of appendicitis

The first, mechanical theory, with all the variety of factors, is more than others confirmed by research and data from postoperative analyzes. But, despite the fact that other theories are poorly supported, they once again prove that the appendix is important in the body.

Inflammation of the appendix and its symptoms

Inflammation of the appendix can be recognized by the following signs:

first appears in the upper abdomen (at the level of the stomach), or near the navel. Sometimes it spreads throughout the abdominal cavity. And after a few hours the pain moves down to the right.
For some time, the pain is of a moderately constant nature, but at some point it may stop, due to the necrosis of the nerve fibers. Pain may increase during walking, coughing, sudden movements.
In acute appendicitis, appetite disappears, vomiting appears, which is reflex in nature, body temperature rises to 37-38 ° C. If you measure the temperature in the right and left armpits, then it will be higher on the right.

Diagnostics

Appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix, occurs, as a rule, at an active age - 20-40 years. Less common in children. Women get sick much more often than men, and, probably, therefore, in the Middle Ages, physicians took inflammation of the appendix for uterine abscesses. The frequency of diseases is 4-5 people per 1000 per year. A doctor can determine appendicitis by palpation (palpation) of the right lower abdomen. There is soreness here, the muscles are unnecessarily tense. There is a feeling of bursting and radiating to the right iliac, or left hypochondrium, if pressed at the McBurney point (in the middle between the navel and the ilium on the right). Laboratory diagnosis of appendicitis is carried out only after surgery, it allows you to understand the morphological nature of the disease. There are 3 main forms:

catarrhal
Phlegmonous
Gangrenous

Postoperative diagnosis is necessary to prevent subsequent postoperative complications. To date, the only, and perhaps the most effective method Treatment of acute appendicitis is - appendectomy, that is, to remove the inflamed organ.

Acute appendicitis is a disease that is no joke

It is important to know that at the first sign of the disease, you should immediately go to the hospital. Inflammation of the appendix develops quickly. Therefore, the phrase “delay is like death” is just about appendicitis. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable. Traditional medicine also does not know the methods of treatment for inflammatory processes of the process. Sometimes two days are enough for a patient who has not received timely assistance to die. The reason for such a rapid development of the disease is that the pus produced in the inflamed organ does not find a way out and bursts the walls, causing tissue perforation. People say that the appendix burst.

Pus flows into the abdominal cavity, causing infection of the abdominal tissues and blood. Truth, ethnoscience She said her word about the prevention of the disease, and traditional medicine agrees with her that in the diet of each of us there must be fiber, which gently cleanses the intestines from fecal stones. Therefore, we should eat more plant foods in the form of greens and fruits.

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Causes of appendicitis, as well as forms and symptoms ...

Despite the small size and seemingly uselessness of the appendix in the human body, it performs important functions.

Location

The location of the appendix depends on the position of the caecum, which is the initial section. Most often, it departs from the posterior inner part of the caecum 0.5-5 cm below the place where it flows into it. The appendix is located in the right iliac fossa.

A human appendix can be on the left with a mirror arrangement of all internal organs, when even the heart is on the right. Sometimes people are even born without a process of the caecum.

There are other options for the location of the appendix:

It can descend into the small pelvis and, in case of inflammation, grow together with bladder. This arrangement occurs in 40-45% of cases.
Located in the thickness of the intestinal loops.
Grow in the wall of the caecum.
Move forward to the abdominal wall or step back.

The place of origin of the appendix from the caecum remains unchanged. When pathologies occur, deviations in the structure of the appendix are observed. It may originate from the lowest part of the intestine or from the upper part.

Structure

The vermiform appendix is a small, oblong outgrowth with a narrow lumen irregular shape, which is connected to the intestinal cavity. Its length is up to 9 cm, in diameter it reaches 0.5-1 cm.

With inflammation, the length of the appendix can increase to 23.5 cm, there are cases of its increase to 50 cm. This condition is dangerous for human life, since the blind outgrowth can burst and its contents enter the abdominal cavity.

The anatomy of the appendix is similar to that of the large intestine. The difference is a smaller number of short intestinal glands and the absence of muscle bands.

The process consists of a serous, subserosal, muscular, submucosal and mucous layer. The mucosa has a large number of lymphoid nodes.

The inner lumen has a mesentery of mucosal cells. This fold is a valve that prevents the contents of the intestine from entering the appendix. Due to the fact that the mesentery does not correspond to the length of the outgrowth, it has a curved shape. There are fatty deposits in the pits.

The blood supply to the appendix comes from the iliac-colon-intestinal and superior mesenteric arteries, from which 4-5 branches depart.

The process veins lie in the abdominal fold, which runs along the entire process. In some cases, the mesentery does not correspond to the length of the appendix, it may end earlier. If the abdominal fold is absent, then the vessels pass under the serous layer.

The veins of the appendix correspond in location to the branches of the arteries.

The blood supply varies from person to person. Varieties:

the process feeds a single vessel (this type occurs in 50% of people);
the appendix is saturated with blood from several vessels (common in 25% of patients);
the blood supply to the appendix and the caecum is simultaneous, from the posterior cecal artery.

The rarest variant is the loop-like type of blood feeding.

Functions

The process of the caecum is an organ that has lost its original functions in the process of evolution. To date, the role of the appendix has not been fully studied, and there is a lot of controversy about this.

Most opinions boil down to the fact that the purpose of the process is a repository for beneficial microorganisms that are involved in the process of digestion. There is evidence that people who have undergone surgery to remove appendicitis suffer. It is difficult for them to restore normal intestinal microflora.

The functions of the appendix are:

Protective. The appendix is an organ of the immune system. It consists of lymphoid tissue, prevents the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of good bacteria.
Recovery. Supports normal intestinal microflora.
Digestive. The process is involved in the digestion of fiber, enhances intestinal motility.
Secretory. It produces up to 4 ml of alkaline secretion, which contains biologically active components.
Productive. Produces antibodies.
Endocrine. Its cells synthesize enzymes that positively affect the work of other organs of the abdominal cavity.

The role of the appendix is great, but there is no need to try to save the appendix when it is inflamed. Removal of this organ will not affect the state of health. Reduced immunity and dysbacteriosis are possible only in the postoperative period.

In order for the appendix to function normally, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of prevention. You need to eat right, fermented milk products are useful, which normalize the intestinal microflora. It is important to give up bad habits and lead active image life.

The appendix is an important organ for a person, it performs many functions necessary for the body. His condition largely depends on nutrition, as well as on blood supply. With blood, the process receives nutrients.