Seasonal Pattern of Acute Appendicitis in Central Anatolia

Abstract

The most common cause of acute abdomen requiring surgical intervention globally is acute appendicitis (AA). In this study, we aimed to investigate how AA diagnosis is affected by seasonal changes in Central Anatolia. Materials and Methods: In this study, patients who underwent appendectomy with the diagnosis of (AA) between January 1, 2015 and January 1,2019 were evaluated retrospectively. We divided the patients into three groups based on their histopathological results: Group 1 Acute Appendicitis (AA), Group 2 Appendix vermiformis (AV) and Group 3 Perforated appendicitis (PA). Patients were evaluated concerning age, sex and season of operation. Results: Seven hundred ninety-five patients participated in our study. They were separated into the following groups: Group 1 (n=614), Group 2 (n=125), and Group 3 (n=56). Concerning the sex variable, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups (p=0.061). The mean age of the patients in the perforated appendicitis group was higher when compared to the other groups (p=0.001). When evaluated by season, it was seen that during winter, the patients in Group 1 were significantly higher than the patients in the other groups (p=0.009). In our study, acute appendicitis was most frequently diagnosed during winter (28.7%); appendix vermiformis was most frequently diagnosed during spring (32%) and perforated appendicitis was most frequently diagnosed during summer (41%). Conclusion: Although the diagnosis of acute appendicitis varies seasonally, age and seasonal changes may be effective in the frequency of acute appendicitis. In Central Anatolia, the incidence of acute appendicitis increased during winter, while the rate of perforated appendicitis increased in summer and the rate of negative appendectomy increased in spring.