Appendicitis

When to get medical help

If you have abdominal pain that's gradually getting worse, contact your GP or local out-of-hours service immediately.

If these options are not available, call NHS 111 for advice.

Call 999 to ask for an ambulance if you have pain that suddenly gets worse and spreads across your abdomen, or if your pain temporarily improves before getting worse again.

If your pain eases for a while but then gets worse, your appendix may have burst, which can lead to life-threatening complications.

Read more about diagnosing appendicitis and complications of appendicitis.

How appendicitis is treated

If you have appendicitis, it's likely your appendix will need to be removed as soon as possible.

Removal of the appendix, known as an appendicectomy or appendectomy, is one of the most common operations in the UK and its success rate is excellent.

It's most commonly carried out as keyhole surgery (laparoscopy).

Several small cuts are made in the abdomen, allowing special surgical instruments to be inserted.

Open surgery, where a larger, single cut is made in the abdomen, is usually used if the appendix has burst or access is more difficult.

It usually takes a couple of weeks to make a full recovery after your appendix has been removed.

But strenuous activities may need to be avoided for up to 6 weeks after having open surgery. 

Find out more about treating appendicitis

What causes appendicitis?

It's not clear what causes appendicitis. In many cases it may be that something blocks the entrance of the appendix.

For example, it could become blocked by a small piece of poo, or an upper respiratory tract infection could cause the lymph node within the wall of the bowel to become swollen.

If the obstruction causes inflammation and swelling, it could lead to increased pressure within the appendix, which may then burst.

As the causes of appendicitis are not fully understood, there's no guaranteed way of preventing it.

Who's affected

Appendicitis is a common condition. In England, around 50,000 people are admitted to hospital with appendicitis each year.

You can get appendicitis at any age, but it usually affects young people aged between 10 and 20 years.