[Perforation rate in acute appendicitis: association with different risk factors]

ABSTRACT

The early diagnosis of acute appendicitis before progression to gangrene or abscess formation is recognized as important to minimize morbidity from this common disease process. The aim of this study was to assess the value of different risk factors in the diagnosis of perforation. This descriptive-analytic and retrospective study was conducted to investigate epidemiological characteristics in patients with perforated and non-perforated appendicitis. A series of 1311 patients who were operated on for acute appendicitis between years 1380-1382 in Shahid Beheshti and Yahya-nejad hospitals were reviewed. Data gathered included age at operation, gender, care sought prior to admission for appendectomy including antibiotic and analgesic therapy, time of presentation in the year, duration of symptoms, signs and symptoms at the time of admission, and the patient's living area. One hundred twenty one of 1311 patients [9%] had perforated appendicitis and 1190 patients [91%] had unperforated appendicitis. Presentation and referral in the first 6-month was associated with higher perforation rate. Patients from rural area showed a higher rate of perforations. The perforation rate was significantly higher in elderly patients [>65 year]. When the duration of symptoms was more than 12 hours at presentation, the risk of perforation showed a five-fold increase. 30.7% of perforated cases had used antibiotic or sedative before referring to the hospital. Appendiceal perforation continues to be a complication in patients with acute appendicitis and increased in the frequency as the age of the patients increase and the duration of symptoms lengthen. We also found that the perforation rate is higher in patients from rural area and in whom present in the first 6-month of the year, a finding that was not reported so far