Keep reading to learn all about appendicitis. Appendicitis is an inflammation, or swelling, of the appendix. This inflammation can occur for a variety of reasons, such as a blockage or an infection of the intestine. Your appendix is a small finger-shaped branch off your large intestine, in the lower right part of your abdomen . The appendix really has no purpose, so if a kid needs to have it removed, it's no big deal.
Some researchers think that many, many years ago, people did use the appendix to digest food.
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