QUESTION: What is the relationship of peritoneal inflammation to loss of appetite?
ANSWER:
- Anorexia
- Nausea
- Vomiting
are directly proportional to the severity and extent of peritoneal irritation. The presence of appetite does not rule out a surgically significant inflammatory process, such as appendicitis• A retrocecal appendicitis with limited peritoneal irritation may be associated with minimal gastrointestinal upset, and 1/3 of all patients with acute appendicitis do not report anorexia on initial presentation.
