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If you have appendicitis it means your appendix is inflamed.

Your appendix is a small tube of tissue that is attached to a part of your intestine called the colon.

It sits in the lower right part of your abdomen and is about 2 inches to 4 inches long.

Doctors aren't exactly sure why some people get appendicitis, but they think that it tends to happen when the appendix gets blocked. Fluids, hard bits of stool or swollen lymph glands can get trapped in the appendix, and when this happens, the appendix becomes inflamed or infected. This leads to the painful symptoms of appendicitis.¹

If you have appendicitis you will normally need surgery to remove your appendix. But the appendix doesn't do anything very important. So taking it out won't cause problems with your digestion later.² If your appendix is inflamed and you don't have it taken out, you could have serious problems.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.