Is this a young mother and her young son? Appendicitis is more common among people 10 to 30 years old. So, the younger they are, the higher their risk of having an appendicitis.

Are mother and son living together and sharing the same dietary and health habits? That could prove a stronger factor if their lifestyle patterns create or exacerbate any of the causes of appendicitis.

According to this NIH website (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/appendicitis/), here are the causes:

Obstruction of the appendiceal lumen causes appendicitis. Mucus backs up in the appendiceal lumen, causing bacteria that normally live inside the appendix to multiply. As a result, the appendix swells and becomes infected. Sources of obstruction include

* feces, parasites, or growths that clog the appendiceal lumen
* enlarged lymph tissue in the wall of the appendix, caused by infection in the gastrointestinal tract or elsewhere in the body
* inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
* trauma to the abdomen

Some of these conditions also be related to genetic vulnerabilities.