The appendix: Useless organ or gut health hero?

DW (English)

The appendix was long dismissed as pointless — something that only caused trouble and can burst. But new research has revealed its surprising role in digestion and immunity.

Transcript

00:01Not being needed is never a great feeling.

00:06The appendix knows this all too well.

00:11For a long time, scientists saw it as a textbook case of a useless organ.

00:19The appendix is anywhere from 5 to even 30 centimetres long.

00:25It's attached to the cecum, the dead end of your large intestine.

00:30Normally nobody pays much attention to the appendix.

00:35That is until it gets sick and inflamed.

00:38Kids and teenagers are especially prone to this.

00:43Inflammation can happen when the narrow opening of the appendix gets blocked.

00:49By things like foreign objects, constipation or even parasites like worms.

00:55When that happens, mucus and gut bacteria can't drain away.

00:59The appendix swells up and can even burst.

01:03If that happens, infection can spread throughout the abdomen.

01:06At that point, there's only one solution. The appendix has to go.

01:11This operation is considered very safe and is performed millions of times every year.

01:17So, should you just have your appendix removed as a precaution, even if it's healthy?

01:25Maybe before heading somewhere you can't get surgery?

01:29Like, say, outer space.

01:32NASA doctors actually asked themselves this very question before the first moon landing.

01:36In the end, they decided against removing it and the appendix got to go to the moon.

01:43Some studies now suggest the appendix might not be so useless after all.

01:49Just like the rest of the gut, it's home to lots of helpful bacteria that aid digestion.

02:00During severe bouts of diarrhoea, this microbiome gets flushed out.

02:06But in the secluded appendix, some bacteria can survive the gut's evacuation and later help to repopulate the digestive tract.

02:23So, it often turns out that even the most overlooked parts of our bodies have an important role to play.

02:30It's an important role to play.

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