Appendicitis in an urban community of North Celebes, Indonesia

In a study of 220 cases of appendicitis among inhabitants of the city of Menado, no relationship could be established between incidence and any social class. This might be due to the uniformity in food habits, all classes consuming a fair amount of proteins, estimated at 1 g/kg bodyweight. There were no children in our study material; appendicitis in children is rarely met in the area. There was a high incidence among young women and women over 45 years. A short meso-appendix was found in 72% of the removed appendices, a retrocoecal position of the appendix in 60% of cases. In nearly all the acute forms of appendicitis, the appendix was eight cm or longer. Since histopathological signs of inflammation were present in 215 of the examined specimens, we think it justifiable to perform an appendectomy in cases with recurrent lower abdominal complaints.