Appendicitis: Causes and Symptoms - Associated Content from Yahoo! on Astini News

Appendicitis is a serious condition in which the appendix, that little mystery of unknown function attached to the large intestion, gets infected and inflamed (also for unknown reasons) and causes one helluva stomach ache. Since the appendix can burst and spread infection to other organs, which can be life-threatening, once a person realizes the signs of appendicitis they should see a doctor. The only treatment for appendicitis is in removing the appendix, which does not affect a person's livelihood once the organ is removed.

Who can get appendicitis? Well, anyone really, and it's actually somewhat common- afflicting almost 10% of the human population at any given time. Typically, however, people under age 30 are most likely to get appendicitis, which shows pretty nasty symptoms that rush most people to the ER for help. Sometimes, the 'cause' for appendicitis lies in a small piece of fecal matter (yeah, gross) that gets stuck in the appendix as it moves through the large intestine, but again, doctors still have no clue why the appendix gets infected in the first place, or even what the appendix is used for in the body.