Appendicitis (맹장염)

The appendix is an organ that evolution overlooked. Believed to have helped ancient species store and digest food, this 3-inch-long muscular tube has no known physiological purpose today. In fact, it's a bodily troublemaker: About 1 in 15 Americans wil suffer from an inflamed appendix, or appendicitis.

 

아랫배 우측에 위치해 있으며 맹장은 대장의 시작부분에서부터 뻗어나온 것이다. 맹장이 막히면 ― 똥, 종양 혹은 감염에 의해서 ― 이것은 염증이 생기게 되어 고름으로 가득찬다. 증상은 우측하복부통증, 오심, 복부팽륜, 위경련, 식욕부진 등이 포함된다. 통증은 12시간 내에 점차적으로 극대화되며 결국엔 심각해지면서 발열을 동반한다.

 

Because the symptoms of appendicitis overlap with those of many other conditions, physicians often conduct urine and blood tests, and possibly computed tomography scans or ultrasounds, to diagnose appendicitis. If appendicitis is suspected, doctors treat it as a medical emergency and quickly remove the organ with an appendectomy to prevent it from rupturing. During this surgical procedure, a 4-inch incision is made in the abdomen, or a minimally invasive laparoscopy is performed. A burst appendix can spill infectious materials into the body, leading to peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal lining. This condition may prove fatal if not treated promptly with strong antibiotics.

 

비록 맹장염이 어떤 나이에나 일어날 수 있지만, 10세에서 30세 사이의 사람들에게 가장 빈발한다. 이 상황을 에방하는 방법은 알려져 있지 않지만, 연구에서는 고섬유소 식단을 섭취하는 사람들에게 덜 일반적이라고 나타났다.

 

 

 

Scientists have found evidence of appendicitis in ancient Egyptian mummies.

 

The first known surgical removal of the appendix was conducted on an 11-year-old boy in 1735 by Claudius Amyand (c. 1681-1740 )