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Impact of coronavirus disease on acute appendicitis cases
Ümit Alakuş1, Barış Türker2, Talha Sarıgöz3
1Department of General Surgery, Health Sciences University Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
Insights
During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients experienced significant delays in seeking hospital care for acute appendicitis (AA). Despite this delay, the severity of the condition did not worsen.
Area of Science:
- Medical research
- Public health
- Surgical outcomes
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has altered disease presentation and healthcare-seeking behaviors.
- Acute appendicitis (AA) is a common surgical emergency whose management may be impacted by pandemic-related disruptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare acute appendicitis cases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To evaluate the impact of pandemic-related delays on patient outcomes for acute appendicitis.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 130 acute appendicitis patients operated on during a defined pandemic period and the prior year.
- Stratification into pandemic (n=46) and pre-pandemic (n=84) groups.
- Comparison of demographic data, symptom duration, hospital stay, inflammatory markers, and complication rates.
Main Results:
- Patients in the pandemic group had a significantly longer median duration from symptom onset to hospital submission (6.5 days vs. 3 days, p<0.001).
- No statistically significant differences were observed in age, gender, hospital stay, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein levels, or post-operative complications between the groups.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a notable delay in hospital presentation for acute appendicitis.
- Delayed presentation during the pandemic did not lead to increased disease severity or poorer clinical outcomes.
Background:
Disease profiles have changed in the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we aimed to compare acute appendicitis cases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
A total of 130 patients were diagnosed with AA and operated between the days of first COVID-19 case on March 11, 2020, and May 11, 2020, and the same period of the previous year. Data of the patients were extracted from electronic archive of the hospital. Those patients were stratified into two groups; pandemic group and pre-pandemic group. The pandemic group comprised 46 patients and the pre-pandemic group, 84 patients. The two groups were compared in terms of age, gender, duration of symptoms, length of hospital stay, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein levels, and post-operative complications.
Results:
The median days passed from onset of abdominal pain to submission were 6.5 days in the pandemic period. However, it was 3 days in the pre-pandemic group (p<0.001). Other parameters were not statistically different between the groups (p>0.05).
Conclusion:
During the COVID-19 pandemic period, delay in hospital submissions has attracted attention. However, delayed treatment did not reflect to the clinic as more severe disease.
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