Dr Phil Kieran: How to spot if your child's tummy pain is appendicitis

If your child wants to lie very still due to abdominal pain, take it seriously

Dr Phil: The pain from appendicitis usually starts around the belly button region and becomes more severe over a few hours. 

How can you tell the difference between tummy pain and appendicitis?

Most of us have heard of a parent needing to rush their child to hospital to be treated for appendicitis — it’s a nightmare scenario.

Your appendix is a small blind-ended tube attached to the large intestine in the lower right-hand corner of the abdomen. In humans, it doesn’t seem to do a lot. We think it is a remnant of evolution and possibly serves as a reservoir for gut bacteria for repopulation after a severe episode of diarrhoeal illness.

Appendicitis happens in approximately one in 500 people, usually before age 18. It can present quickly, with 75% of cases ending up in hospital within 24 hours of first having symptoms. This is good news for parents as they will unlikely miss the warning signs.

Appendicitis pain usually starts around the belly button region and becomes more severe over a few hours. It will frequently move from the belly button area to the lower right corner of the tummy as it worsens. This type of pain is usually made worse with movement, so if your child wants to lie very still due to their abdominal pain, it must be taken seriously.

As the pain progresses, it is common to have a mild fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In the vast majority of cases, the child will also look unwell.

If your child has these symptoms, bring them to their GP clinic for review. The doctor can examine the child’s tummy, and a hospital referral will be made if there’s a suspicion of appendicitis. The hospital emergency doctor will examine the child and possibly get a scan. The surgical team will be asked to assess the case and if it looks like appendicitis there is a good chance your child will have surgery that night or early the next morning. (If the medical team thinks it can wait it’s usually better to have surgery during the day).

Tummy pains in kids are incredibly common — the vast majority never have an issue with their appendix.

Before consulting a doctor, check if your child is moving about freely and still hungry despite their tummy pain. If so, this is usually reassuring. Next, ask your child to hop on their right foot. If they have an inflamed appendix this will be pretty sore. If they hop and say ‘ow’ instantly, I would bring them to a doctor.

Trust your instincts and If you are worried about your child, talk to your GP.

If you have a question for Dr Phil, please send it to [e-mail]