Seasonal variation of acute appendicitis and fecaliths in children
Abstract Purpose A higher incidence of acute appendicitis (AA) in summer has been reported. The reason of this observation is uncertain. The purpose of this study is to analyze the difference of the clinical findings between summer and non-summer AA. Methods We reviewed the clinical data of 171 patients who had an appendectomy from 2013 to 2016. The patients were under 18 years of age by the time of surgery. Laboratory data, CT scans, pathologic reports and operative records were reviewed. Results More appendectomies were performed in summer than non-summer months (101 patients vs 70 patients). There is no significant difference of laboratory results between the summer and non-summer patients. The percentage of AA patients with a fecalith is significantly lower in the summer (33.6%) than non-summer months (55.7%). There was no significant difference in appendiceal perforation/abscess between summer and non-summer months. Conclusions We observed a lower percentage of AA with a fecalith in summer. To our knowledge, this observation has not been reported in literature. The increase of AA in summer may be a result of more lymphoid hyperplasia in summer. This may correlate with the yearly outbreak of enteroviral infections in this area.