[Significant change in the number of appendectomies performed in Hungary during the last four decades]

The number of appendectomies carried out annually in Hungary diminished significantly during the last four decades till middle of nineties. From 1995 the annually number of appendectomies is hardly higher than a quarter of the number of operations in 1961. The reasons of this situation may be the improvement of diagnostic of appendicitis, as well as the rarer occurrence of this disease. In the changes of incidence of appendicitis the anti-bacterial treatments carried out in different reasons may be important factors. These treatments can change in composition of normal bowel bacterial flora. At the same time, when the number of appendectomies is diminishing the number of chronic bowel inflammations (e.g. Crohn disease, colitis ulcerosa) is increasing, this situation may be different sides of the same process.