Appendix how many

Your appendix is located in the lower right part of your abdomen, in an area that doctors refer to as McBurney's point. If applying pressure on McBurney's point results in pain or tenderness, your doctor may suspect that you have appendicitis.

The finger-shaped appendix is attached to a part of your large intestine called the cecum — a small pouch typically considered to be the beginning of the large intestine.

The muscles lining your GI tract, along with the hormones and enzymes that the system produces, allow your GI tract to break down and process food. Your appendix doesn't directly help with digestion.

It's been unclear what role the appendix has in the body, and removal of the organ doesn't appear to have any negative health consequences. For many years, scientists believed the appendix was a vestigial organ — one that lost its original function through centuries of evolution.

Researchers thought that no other mammals had an appendix, aside from our closest ape relatives. What's more, the cecum of plant-eating mammals is far larger than it is in humans. On this basis, Charles Darwin theorized that our distant ancestors also had large ceca, which allowed them to dine on leaves like the herbivores of today.

But as these ancestors shifted to a diet based on fruits, which are easier to digest, their ceca shrank. The appendix, Darwin believed, is just a shriveled up part of the cecum, which evolution hasn't entirely eliminated. Some scientists now believe the appendix is not useless after all, and may help our guts recover after a gastrointestinal disease strikes.

The appendix contains a particular type of tissue associated with the lymphatic system, which carries the white blood cells needed to fight infections. In recent years, scientists have found that lymphatic tissue encourages the growth of some beneficial gut bacteria, which play an important role in human digestion and immunity. Studies have also shown that the lining of the gut contains a biofilm, or a thin layer of microbes, mucus , and immune system molecules — and these biofilms appear to be most pronounced in the appendix.

According to the so-called "safe house" theory, the appendix protects a collection of beneficial gut bacteria when certain diseases wipe them out from elsewhere in the GI tract. Once the immune system has rid the body of the infection, the bacteria emerge from the appendix biofilm and recolonize the gut. These useful bacteria might help promote good digestion and support your immune system.

For years, researchers have noticed that appendicitis increases when communities introduce sanitary water systems.

Such modern conveniences may lead to fewer friendly organisms in our environments. In turn, this may cause your immune system to become overactive. It may leave your body vulnerable to certain disorders such as, appendicitis. The infection might start in your stomach and travel to your appendix. It might also arise from a hardened piece of feces in your intestinal tract.

Without treatment, you could develop an abscess or ruptured appendix. This can be a life-threatening condition and warrants immediate medical attention. If you suspect you have appendicitis, make an appointment with your doctor. To diagnose your condition, they will ask you about your symptoms and conduct a physical exam.

They may also order lab work and imaging tests. The traditional approach to treating appendicitis is surgery. More and more, doctors are turning to minimally invasive surgery , or laparoscopy.

To perform minimally invasive surgery, your doctor will typically use two or more short incisions instead of one longer incision. In some cases, your doctor might try to avoid surgery altogether. A recent review of research published in the British Medical Journal found that antibiotics might be the best treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis. Using antibiotics rather than surgery appears to lower the risk of complications by at least 31 percent.

It appears to be a safe and effective option for uncomplicated appendicitis. Your doctor can use imaging techniques to learn if your appendicitis is uncomplicated or requires surgery. If you have an appendectomy, your doctor should teach you how to take care of yourself afterward. It may take a few weeks or longer to recover, suggests the Mayo Clinic.

Ask your doctor when you can expect to resume normal activities. An appendectomy can help treat an acute problem, but it might raise your risk of other issues later on. According to researchers in the journal PLoS One , appendectomy might also raise your risk of developing colorectal cancer, particularly rectal cancer. If your appendix ruptures and you develop peritonitis, you will have antibiotics prescribed. Your surgeon will need to drain out the infected material and disinfect your abdominal cavity.

A nasogastric tube feeding tube through the nose may need to be inserted into your stomach for a day or two, and intravenous fluids will be administered into a vein in your arm. You can expect a longer hospital stay. All surgery carries some degree of risk.

One of the most common complications following appendectomy is infection. Around 20 per cent of people who have a ruptured appendix develop an abscess ball of pus within the abdominal cavity about two weeks or so after the appendectomy. These abscesses must be surgically drained. Another common type of infection following appendectomy is infection of the wound. The appendix appears to be a redundant organ, since the human body manages quite well without it.

There is no chance of ever experiencing appendicitis again, because the appendix is entirely removed. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. A 'tummy tuck', or abdominoplasty, is cosmetic surgery to remove fat and excess loose skin from the abdomen. Most people can resume normal activities around three weeks after an arthroscopy. IVF in-vitro-fertilization and ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection are assisted reproductive treatment ART procedures in which fertilisation of an egg occurs outside the body.

A handful of non-urgent elective surgical procedures have been found to have limited benefits, except in very specific circumstances. People with coronary heart disease talk about the medical procedures that followed their heart attack and diagnosis.

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On this page. Problems associated with appendicitis Medical issues to consider Appendectomy procedure Immediately after appendectomy Medical treatment for peritonitis Complications of appendectomy Taking care of yourself at home after appendectomy Long-term outlook after appendectomy Where to get help Things to remember.

Problems associated with appendicitis Appendicitis occurs when the appendix is blocked and becomes infected due to an invasion of intestinal bacteria. There is no single cause, but appendicitis may be due to: A bowel adhesion Swelling of the lymphatic tissue of the appendix due to a viral infection A foreign body A faecalith a small, hard mass of faeces , which causes blockage, inflammation and infection.