Burst appendix or stomach flu?

A young child arrives at the emergency room after several days of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea and is sent home with a diagnosis of viral gastritis and treatment for the symptoms. The child seems better for a while, only to return to the ER with worse symptoms and a ruptured appendix, a life-threatening complication of appendicitis. The scenario is not uncommon, experts say, because children with appendicitis don't usually have the classic symptoms of the condition, but pediatricians at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center say there are ways for doctors and parents to tell the difference early on between a potentially deadly burst appendix - which can kill in a matter of days, even hours - and a stomach bug. Past research has found that half of appendicitis cases are misdiagnosed when they first present at the... [read full story]