Appendicitis and appendicectomy in a Melanesian population

A prospective study of patients with appendicitis has been conducted over a 3-year period in the Melanesian population of the North Solomons. Patients presented with suspected appendicitis at an annual rate of 39 per 100,000 population. Appendicitis was confirmed at operation at an annual rate of 22 per 100,000 population. The disease was considerably more frequent in male than in female patients. The annual appendicectomy rate was 29 per 100,000 population. Thirty per cent of patients presented with signs of late or complicated appendicitis, while 37 per cent of patients submitted to operation were found to have advanced appendicitis. The incidence and pattern of appendicitis in the North Solomons are quite different from those seen in the urbanized populations of developed countries.