How daily intake of apple keeps ageing at bay, by scientists

Apples

Chemical in peel prevents muscle wasting, new research finds

AN APPLE a day can keep ageing at bay according to new medical research, which could help prevent muscles wasting away in older people.

A chemical found in the peel of apples can turn elderly people's muscles into those of a young adult after just two months of treatment, claim scientists from the University of Iowa, United States (U.S.).

They said both apple peel and green tomatoes have natural chemical properties, which could turn back time for tired older muscles.

Now the researchers hope the discovery could lead to new therapies targeting pensioners and other older adults enabling them to keep fit and active for longer.

Muscle wastage in old age is caused by a protein called ATF4 which changes the formation of genes, starving muscles of the proteins they need to remain strong leading to a loss of mass and, subsequently, strength.

But it seems two natural compounds can reduce ATF4 activity, scientists from the University of Iowa told the specialist Journal of Biological Chemistry.

One of those is ursolic acid, which is found in apple peel, and the other is tomatidine, which comes from green tomatoes, said Christopher Adams, professor of internal medicine and lead author of the study.

He said: "Many of us know from our own experiences that muscle weakness and atrophy are big problems as we become older. These problems have a major impact on our quality of life and health."

Initial tests on older mice show ursolic acid and tomatidine 'dramatically reduce age-related muscle weakness and atrophy' increasing muscle mass by 10 per cent and 'muscle quality' by 30 per cent after just two months.

Bad diet can mess up your sex life

Written by Bukola Adebayo - Nigeria

It is not only women that experience some down time in the bedroom. Men, too, find it difficult to get it up sometimes. This is not to say that they are impotent or suffering from erectile dysfunction, though.

A couple in bed

Consultant Nutritionist, Dr. Tayo Akinsanya, says if you have found yourself saying, 'Not tonight' more than usual, it might have to do with something you ate.

According to him, these days, more men suffer from a decreased sex drive, and some of the major culprits are as simple as what they eat.

Akinsanya says, "Foods can negatively affect your libido, especially as you age; so, it's important to identify the wrong foods and cut them down, or cut them out totally.

"Some foods deplete testosterone levels – the hormone that boosts sexual desire. And anything that depletes these hormones in men can eventually zap their desire for sex."

He notes that men who can't seem to get sexually stimulated at night should check what they had for supper.

Akinsanya explains further that the food we eat can affect our sex drive in both a positive and negative way.

The nutritionist says that eating too much carbohydrate, especially solid foods, after 8pm can ruin a man's ability to have an erection that day.

Akinsanya says, "The dinner many men eat in a typical African setting is just wrong for any form of physical activity. How can you successfully have sex on a full stomach?

"As your body tries to digest the Eba or Amala that you had for dinner, it will definitely find it difficult to send pleasure signals or hormones that will help you get an erection."

It is not just solid foods, however, that affect a man's ability to get it up. Rather, here are everyday foods that can wreak havoc on your mojo:

Beans: 

This depends on how you digest beans. For some, they will feel full of energy after a bean meal; for others, they may feel sluggish or, at worst, bloated and even an increase in flatulence. So, its best avoided for dinner if you plan to have sex that day.

Three litres of water daily prevents kidney stones - Urologist

Written by Bukola Adebayo

The kidney

A Consultant Urologist with the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, India, Dr. Narasimhan Subramanian, has said that drinking three or four litres of water every day can prevent the formation of kidney stones.

A kidney stone is a hard, crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract. Kidney stones are a common cause of blood in the urine (hematuria) and often severe pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Kidney stones are sometimes called renal calculi.

The condition of having kidney stones is termed nephrolithiasis. Having stones at any location in the urinary tract is referred to as urolithiasis, and the term ureterolithiasis is used to refer to stones located in the ureters.

Subramanian also linked the disease to untreated infectious diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, adding that early diagnosis and proper treatments of such conditions would prevent the disorder.

The urologist identified abuse of painkillers as a factor to increasing the incidence of kidney failure among adults and maintained that unhealthy habits such as smoking and indiscriminate consumption of alcohol may lead to kidney failure.

Do you want a healthy baby? Try exclusive breastfeeding

Written by Bukola Adebayo - Nigeria

For expectant mothers who still don't know, exclusive breast feeding is the act of giving a 

baby only breast milk in the first six months of a child's life without adding any supplement, food or liquid, including water.

Oh yes! It may sound impossible to most that any one can survive a day without drinking water, but doctors maintain that the breast milk is the only food and fluid that a child needs in the first six months of life.

They say that for the baby to get all the benefits inherent in it, the mother must practise exclusive breastfeeding.

Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Yeni Olanrewaju, says the breast milk is the most nutritious food a mother can give her newborn. It is also the best food for a growing infant.

Olanrewaju says the first milk from a woman's breast shortly after delivery has been proved to contain thousands of nutrients that will help the baby till s/he can produce enough antibodies to fight infection.

"We call it immediate breast-feeding, which is putting the baby to the mother's breast within an hour after birth . The antibodies in this breast milk within this hour could significantly reduce the chances of losing the baby in the first six weeks.

" It is a cost-effective strategy that we advise all mothers to adopt in order to reduce neonatal deaths," Olanrewaju enthuses.

Even the United Nations Children Fund states that early and exclusive breastfeeding supports healthy brain development, improves cognitive performance and is associated with better educational achievement at age five.

The UNICEF, however, laments that less than 40 per cent of infants under six months receive the benefits.

According to the global body, approximately 1.3 million deaths can be prevented each year if at least 90 per cent of mothers practise exclusive breast feeding.

Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Bunmi Adeniyi, says that six months of exclusive breastfeeding is key to the survival of a child, as it helps in boosting the baby's immunity level to fight diseases and infections.

According to Adeniyi, the breast milk, especially the first thick yellow milk called colostrum, contains anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents and high levels of vitamin A that protect infants against diseases.

He notes that promoting exclusive breast feeding reduces the incidence of killer diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, jaundice and other respiratory infections.

"Breast milk is a natural source of food for the baby and it is important for the baby's growth. It also contains antibodies that protect infants from bacteria, viruses and other childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections - diseases that kill children in Nigeria.

Anti-tobacco policies cut youth smoking rates - Study

~ New York Times News Service

Tobacco

As smoking has become more expensive and inconvenient in the United States, fewer young people are lighting up, a new study shows.

"Because smoking initiation typically occurs before youth enter the workplace, smoke-free workplace laws likely affect smoking initiation by showing kids that adult smoking norms reject smoking," said study first author Anna Song, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of California, Merced, Health Sciences Research Institute.

In a news release from the University of California, San Francisco, Song said that the effects of smoke-free laws are similar or larger than other factors linked to smoking, such as age, race and poverty level.

The study looked at information collected in 1997 on the smoking habits of nearly 4,000 young people in the United States. The participants were between 12 and 18 years old.

Researchers monitored the teens for 11 years. During that time, state, county and citywide smoke-free laws became more prevalent and comprehensive. Cigarette taxes also increased during this time, the study found.

While the study can't definitively show a cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers found that a 100 per cent smoke-free environment seemed to lower the odds of young people taking up smoking by one-third. The number of new smokers during the study period dropped significantly, and the number of nonsmokers being exposed to harmful secondhand smoke also went down, the researchers reported.

During the study period, the number of people protected by smoking bans at work, restaurants and bars increased.

Young people living in areas where smoking bans were enforced in bars were 20 per cent less likely to start smoking. Teens and young adults who already smoked when these laws were implemented smoked 15 per cent fewer days each month, the study showed.

Findings were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Senior study author Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at UCSF, said in the news release, "Smoke-free workplace laws have the most powerful effect on smoking initiation, equivalent to the deterrent impact of a $1.57 tax increase."

Making cigarettes more expensive had an impact, too. The researchers noted that each 10-cent tax increase was followed by a three per cent decline in the odds of starting to smoke. The federal tax increased from 24 cents per pack in 1995 to $1.01 per pack in 2009. The average state tax increased from nearly 33 cents per pack in 1995 to $1.20 per pack in 2009, the researchers said.

Lose weight without starving yourself

Written by Bukola Adebayo - Nigeria. 

Yes, it is good to shed some weight. Apart from the aesthetics that comes with weight loss, you are, invariably, reducing your risk for killer diseases such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension, which have been associated with obesity.

However, restricting your diet too much wreaks havoc on your health.

For instance, Consultant Nutritionist, Dr. Andrew Anisuba, warns that people who eat irregularly in the name of dieting may have problems with their glucose and insulin levels, both of which are key players when it comes to achieving smooth metabolism.

Anisuba says, "Studies have shown that eating irregular meals, like only once a day, impairs your glucose tolerance, so you can't use it as effectively as you should."

Also, many people chuck out carbohydrates from their menu because they have been told that it makes people fat. Anisuba says going off carbohydrates will do more harm than good to the body.

The nutritionist warns that the Atkins diet (or Atkins Nutritional Approach), which focuses on protein intake as against carbohydrates, may predispose one to kidney diseases.

As much as these diets may help you lose weight or not gain weight, they have their ugly side, which could lead to more complications, including kidney disease, cancer and severe damage to internal organs.

According to physicians and nutritionists, not all the effects of dieting are positive. Another nutritionist, Dr. Yomi Agaja, says diets that encourage high protein contents in our meals have the most dangerous effects.

He warns that fad diets such as the Atkins Diet and the vegetarian diets which emphasise high protein content, such that dieters now avoid carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, yam and rice, pose certain risks, including kidney failure.

He states, "It's well known that patients with kidney problems suffer from eating a high protein diet. Such a diet can put a strain on your kidneys.

"Your kidneys are responsible for filtering a number of substances, including protein, from your blood. So, a high protein diet can put a strain on your kidneys. In fact, those with reduced kidney function should avoid such a diet."

Scientists validate local plants for cancer treatment.

Written by CHUKWUMA MUANYA - Nigeria

Mucuna pruriens Piper guineense

Chinese and Nigerian researchers have validated the use of bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), Gongronema latifolium (utazi in Ibo, arokeke in Yoruba), West African Black Pepper or Ashanti pepper (Piper guineense, uziza in Igbo and ata iyere in Yoruba), sesame (Sesamum indicum), and Cowhage also called Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens, agbala or agbaloko in Ibo and werepe in Yoruba) in the treatment of cancers. 

A very recent study on anti-cancer and free radical scavenging activity of some Nigerian food plants shows that regular intake of local spices and vegetables such as bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), Gongronema latifolium (utazi in Ibo, arokeke in Yoruba), West African Black Pepper or Ashanti pepper (Piper guineense, uziza in Igbo and ata iyere in Yoruba), sesame (Sesamum indicum), and Cowhage also called Velvet bean (agbala or agbaloko in Ibo and werepe in Yoruba) could provide the elusive cure for cancers.

The study was published in February 25, 2015 edition of the International Journal of Cancer Research.

Nigerian designer wives

Written by Jide Ojo - Nigeria

Follow on twitter: @jideojong

Jide Ojo

The title of this piece is a copyright from Aisha Falode and her team of co-presenters of "Amazons", a magazine programme on African Independent Television. The phrase was the topic of the episode aired on Friday, August 28, 2015. I watched the fascinating edition and therefore decided to share my perspective on the issue with a wider audience. In the episode, Nigerian designer wives was the ascription given to married career ladies who are trendy, sophisticated, and cosmopolitan but deficient in culinary prowess. They are women who are well-read but lack the ability to manage the home front. They rely heavily on house-helps to clean and cook thereby outsourcing crucial matrimonial duties.

Ace actress, Funke Akindele, in one of the recent episodes of her highly entertaining TV drama entitled "Jennifer's Diary" featured a character that best describe Aisha Falode's Nigerian designer wife. The lady couldn't cook nor do any household chore and only tried to do them when she was about losing her fiancé to another woman.

Is it not shocking that this country now has a sizable number of married women who cannot cook anything beyond noodle? There are even some of them who cannot boil water let alone egg. They have been so pampered that they do not know the way to the market and if they do, they don't know the recipe for soup making; how to identify good fish or meat; which yam is good for pounded yam and which one is good for porridge; how to bargain, etcetera.

There are many ladies in today's Nigeria that hire people to go to market for them. Thereafter, they go for their cookery book for guidance on how to go about preparing their meals. Some who couldn't cook order large quantum of prepared food and soups from restaurants which they take home to refrigerate and microwave when they want to eat or entertain visitors. Some don't even bother themselves going through all that stress, they simply eat out.

These designer wives do not know how to sweep, wash plates and clothes, mop the floor, dust the furniture, iron clothes, arrange the home and tidy up their environment. While some of them make heavy investment in purchasing washing machines for their laundry; some others hire people to do their home cleaning. Some do most of their laundry at the dry cleaners. All these are done at great financial and social costs.

What then do these designer wives know how to do? Oh, a lot! They are fashionistas and are specialist in the use of information and communications technology. They are connected to all the social media and can ping and chat from morning till evening except when they are busy at work. They regularly upload their latest pictures on their social media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. They also are good at watching the latest movies and films on satellite television. They have favourite soap operas they cannot afford to miss on terrestrial TV. They know all the major characters in Mexican soaps, Nollywood and Hollywood. They like to gossip and as such spend quality time on phones chatting up friends, colleagues and relations. They also love cars, customised, posh wonders-on-wheel, with which they cruise town.

The 5,000-year secret history of the watermelon

~ By Mark Strauss, National Geographic 
Folllow Mark Strauss on Twitter.

Ancient Hebrew texts and Egyptian tomb paintings reveal the origins of our favorite summertime fruit.

The watermelon has long inspired artists, such as Giuseppe Recco's Still Life With Fruit (1634-1695). The first color sketches of the red-fleshed, sweet watermelon in Europe can be found in a medieval medical manuscript, the Tacuinum Sanitatis.

 
PHOTOGRAPH BY DEA, A. DAGLI ORTI/DEAGOSTINI/ GETTY

To taste a watermelon is to know "what the angels eat," Mark Twain proclaimed.

The angels, however, would have gagged if they had eaten the watermelon's wild ancestor - a bitter fruit with hard, pale-green flesh. Generations of selective breeding, spanning several countries and cultures, produced the sweet red fruit that's now a common sight on picnic tables.

Much of this epic history has been lost to antiquity. But Harry Paris, a horticulturalist at the Agricultural Research Organization in Israel, has spent years assembling clues – including ancient Hebrew texts, artifacts in Egyptian tombs and medieval illustrations - that have enabled him to chronicle the watermelon's astonishing 5,000-year transformation.

Who's your Daddy?

Scientists agree that the watermelon's progenitor - the ur-watermelon, if you will - was cultivated in Africa before spreading north into Mediterranean countries and, later, to other parts of Europe.

But, that's where the consensus ends. Did the ancestral watermelon originally grow in Western Africa? Southern Africa? Northeastern Africa? The theories are, literally, all over the map.

"The history has been screwed up from the very outset," says Paris, who places the blame on generations of taxonomists, stretching back to the 18th century, who hopelessly muddled melon classification.

Even the name for the modern watermelon - Citrullus lanatus - is wrong. Lanatus means "hairy" in Latin and was originally the name applied to the fuzz-covered citron melon (Cirtrullus amarus).

The citron melon, which grows in southern Africa, is one popular candidate for the watermelon's ancient ancestor. But Paris is doubtful. He's found evidence that the Egyptians began growing watermelon crops around 4,000 years ago, which predates farming in southern Africa.

Pregnant and malnourished? Your baby risks ill health

Written by Solaade Ayo-Aderele - Nigeria

Pregnancy is a trauma to the body; or so physicians want us to know and, I dare say, they know better.

Indeed, when you remember that pregnancy takes a whopping nine months to mature into the delivery of a healthy baby if everything goes well, you will appreciate the physical and psychological changes that attend it, as well as their implications on the health of the expectant mother.

Head of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, says pregnancy leads to increased oxygen consumption due to the rising metabolic needs of the mother and the developing baby.

He notes that the growth of the size of the uterus, alongside the increase of the progesterone levels, leads to increment of the respiratory rate, resulting in lower level of carbon dioxide in the blood, or what is medically known as hypocapnia – a state of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood that can lead to brain injury.

"When this condition is in a mild stage, the pregnant woman can experience constipation, nasal blockage, constant coughing, etc. She may also have visual disturbances, anxiety, transient dizziness, muscle cramps, blackouts, shortness of breath and vomiting," experts warn.

Consultant Paediatrician at the Calabar General Hospital in Cross River State, Dr. Friday Odey, warns that the health of the unborn baby and his very life hang on the mother's wellbeing; hence, whatever affects the expectant mother is very likely to affect her unborn baby.

Don't ruin your liver with harmful habits

Written by Solaade Ayo-Aderele - Nigeria

In humans, the liver is very important because of the numerous functions it performs. Scientists say this vital organ, being one of the largest in humans, detoxifies the body by ridding it of harmful substances, while it also produces the biochemical substances that are necessary for proper digestion of food.

The presence of a healthy liver in the body is what makes the blood what it is, experts say, as the liver produces the albumin – a major component of blood serum.

A General Practitioner, Dr. Daniel Ogunboyejo, says when a woman is pregnant, in the first three months, the liver is the main site of red blood cell production in the foetus. And even after the baby is born, this organ produces the hormone that plays an important role in the child's growth and continues to aid the building up of organs and tissues in adults.

Ogunboyejo also notes that when a person's blood pressure becomes low (hypotension), the liver, working in tandem with the kidneys, produces angiotensinogen – a hormone that is responsible for raising the blood pressure when activated by another enzyme (renin) that is released when the kidney senses low blood pressure.

Experts say the liver is thought to be responsible for up to 500 separate functions, usually in combination with other systems and organs. And that is why they conclude that this organ is necessary for survival, as there is no way to compensate for its absence in the body in the long term.

Scientists say the liver is basically the 'body's filter.' The function of the liver is to process medications, alcohol, and other such chemicals and toxins and remove them from the body. "Therefore, anything you put into your body will, at some point and in some form, pass through the liver," Ogunboyejo warns.

Liver destroyers

At a media briefing about Hepatitis C, a specialist in hepatology, gastroenterology and endoscopy, Dr. Aderemi Oluyemi, warns that numerous activities can jeopardise the liver, leading to damages that are sometimes irreversible unless the patient goes for liver transplantation – an extreme and expensive procedure that is not available in the country.

How can you damage your liver? These ways...

Abusing anabolic steroids

Many people, especially athletes, body builders and weight lifters, use anabolic steroids without supervision by a competent physician. Yet experts say these synthetic variants of the male sex hormone (testosterone), if used regularly and for a long period, can raise the risk of developing liver cancer as well as some other cancers.

It can also result in liver tumours; the liver may be enlarged, become deep red in colour and fragile.

"It may also lead to haemorrhagic cystic degeneration of the liver – a rare condition that requires urgent surgery," Ogunboyejo notes.

'Obesity master switch' for burning fat discovered

~TheGuardian Nigeria

Eating on the move may trigger weight gain in dieters

SCIENTISTS who analyzed the cell-level circuits surrounding the activity of the FTO gene – the one most strongly associated with obesity – have discovered a metabolic pathway that appears to exert overall control over whether our fat cells store or burn calories.

Researchers have discovered a cell circuit that controls whether fat cells burn or store fat, which is regulated by a master gene that differs among individuals.

The discovery – published in The New England Journal of Medicine – may lead to new approaches to prevent and even cure obesity, says the team, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, United States (US). Obesity is one of today’s biggest challenges to global health.

It affects over 500 million people worldwide and contributes to type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders – all diseases that can lead to early death.

Also, while it may be a convenient way to fit lunch into a hectic work schedule, new research published in the Journal of Health Psychology suggests that eating while “on the go” could lead to weight gain and obesity in people who are dieting. Eating while walking around led to increased snack food intake among the participants of a subsequent taste test.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK), found that eating while walking could make dieters overeat later on in the day, triggering more overeating than other forms of distraction such as watching television (TV) or chatting with a friend.

Senior author Manolis Kellis, professor of computer science at MIT, says: “Obesity has traditionally been seen as the result of an imbalance between the amount of food we eat and how much we exercise, but this view ignores the contribution of genetics to each individual’s metabolism.”

It may be time to accept Marijuana

Written by Sylvester Ikhisemojie - Nigeria

Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie

The spectre of decriminalising various things that we have become used to viewing as abnormal may finally be upon us. In many Western nations, there is a raging debate over the pros and cons of uplifting such a ban on this particular substance. For one, there is no objective evidence that its use contributes significantly to an upswing in crime. There is no evidence either that it is always subject to abuse. In many local farming and mining communities in Latin America, the plants are grown as normally as we grow the bitter-leaf plant here at home, and leaves are abundant in the countryside. As a result, the product is consumed openly in its raw form in those places. The same happens for coca leaves from which cocaine is derived. But let us limit the arguments to Marijuana and agree about its effects on our social relationships. In many places, marijuana is called different names. Some call it 'weed.' Others call it 'gbana.' Yet others call it 'grass' and some still call it 'hashish.' Among the youths, 'igbo' is the preferred name while in urbane circles; the name is properly called cannabis or Indian hemp.

The botanical name is Cannabis sativa and its active agent is Tetrahydrocannabinol, an extract that is in use as a psychoactive substance and is also believed to expand the mind. It is not for nothing that this particular substance has, therefore, not met with the necessary approval in many circles. It is believed that its consumption would lead to an increase in various criminal acts and so is by its nature, an antisocial object. The evidence does not bear this out. In the Netherlands, where there has long being a programme like this where there are recreational bars in which marijuana is a part of the menu, there has been no spike in crime from 1978, when the experiment began, till date. In fact, there was an increase in tourism as a result of this liberalisation with many young people seeking to experience the opportunity to legally smoke hashish.

Now of course, there is talk of recreational marijuana, not any different from the drinking of beer and stout. Not to mention the routine consumption of brandy, vodka and other spirits with far more profound effects on the society.

The main producers of marijuana come from several different continents. It is a flowering plant produced in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India, Thailand, Lebanon, Turkey, the Netherlands, Spain, Jamaica, Colombia, Mexico, the US, Canada, and Morocco. It is likely also, that Nigeria would be a significant producer of this commodity.

Decriminalising it ensures a transparent trade in it thus positioning it to become yet a significant foreign exchange earner for the nation. Different variants of the plant are also processed to make ropes and hashish oil which are used in various industries. Ropes are often processed from an abundance of fibre known to be produced by other variants of the cannabis plant. Its fibre was one of the first recorded natural suture materials used in surgery. Without the knowledge gained from that early use, much of modern surgery would not have been the way it is today.

Managing appendicitis

Written by Rotimi Adesanya - Nigeria

Dr. Rotimi Adesanya

A reporter with this newspaper featured a report on Saturday, August 8, 2015, entitled "A community where nine out of every 10 villagers have appendicitis." He wondered what could be the reason for a situation whereby almost nine out of 10 persons in a particular community had undergone surgery as a result of the illness.

The youths informed the reporter that appendicitis and hernia were common among members of their community. They disclosed that several persons have died as a result of the conditions.

The reporter deduced that this could be attributed to the villagers' travails on hardship, hard work, farming and absence of potable water in the community.

The import of this piece is to shed light on the medical condition called appendicitis, being one of the commonest abdominal emergencies seen anywhere in the world.

To start with, appendicitis is more common in females than in males. It used to be thought of as a cosmopolitan disease; but in the last two decades or so, evidence has suggested that this is not necessarily true. Indeed, there is no hospital, large or small, that does not have to deal with this condition in all parts of Nigeria, whether in the urban areas or in the hinterland.

The appendix is a small, thin pouch about five to 10cm long. It's connected to the large intestine, where faeces (stools) are formed. No one knows exactly why we have an appendix; and removing it is not harmful.

Appendicitis is a painful swelling of the appendix, which causes pain in the abdomen. There are four types of appendicitis: acute appendicitis, sub-acute appendicitis, recurrent appendicitis, and chronic appendicitis

Acute appendicitis is the commonest surgical condition of the abdomen. Acute appendicitis may occur at all ages, while sub-acute appendicitis may resolve with medications.

Signs and symptoms

Appendicitis typically starts with a pain in the middle of the abdomen (tummy). The pain may come and go. Within hours, the pain travels to the lower right-hand side, where the appendix usually lies, and becomes constant and severe.

Other symptoms are anorexia, nausea, and low grade fever. Pressing on this area, coughing or walking may all make the pain worse. The patient may lose appetite, feel sick and occasionally experience diarrhoea.

The single most important physical finding by the doctor is right lower abdominal pain on palpation of the abdomen. Other findings include low-grade fever, peritoneal signs, and guardedness.

Causes

It's not exactly clear what the causes of appendicitis are, although most cases are thought to occur when something, usually a small piece of seed, stone, faeces (stool) or a swollen lymph node within the wall of the bowel blocks the entrance of the appendix. This obstruction leads to the development of inflammation and swelling.