Children Aren't Immune to Appendicitis: Experts

Paediatricians warn of cases of appendicitis (inflammation of appendix) in toddlers; say symptoms are much harder to recognise

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While often associated with teens and adults, appendicitis is a condition that does not spare the youngest among us. Experts warn that the condition — characterised by inflammation of the appendix — is one of the leading causes of emergency abdominal surgery in children.

"Appendicitis can happen at any age, even in very young children," said Dr Shandip Kumar Sinha, the director of paediatric surgery and paediatric urology at Medanta-the Medicity in Gurugram. "While it's more commonly diagnosed in kids over five years old, we've seen cases even in toddlers. The challenge is that symptoms in younger children can be less typical and harder to recognise," he said.