Appendicitis Updated Review

Epidemiology

Addiss and associates estimated the incidence of acute appendicitis in the United States population to be 11 cases per 10,000 population annually. The disease is slightly more common in males, with a male:female ratio of 1.4:1. In a lifetime, 8.6% of males and 6.7% of females can be expected to develop acute appendicitis. Young age is a risk factor, as nearly 70% of patients with acute appendicitis are less than 30 years of age. The highest incidence of appendicitis in males is in the 10- to 14-year-old age group (27.6 cases per 10,000 population), while the highest female incidence is in the 15- to 19-year-old age group (20.5 cases per 10,000 population). Patients at extremes of age are more likely to develop perforated appendicitis. Overall, perforation was present in 19.2% of cases of acute appendicitis. This number was significantly higher, however, in patients under 5 and over 65 years of age. Although less common in people over 65 years old, acute appendicitis in the elderly progresses to perforation more than 50% of the time.