Pediatric appendicitis may be co-associated with meteorologic factors: A case-crossover study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Environmental Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The exact causes of appendicitis remain incompletely understood.
• Limited research exists on the influence of meteorological factors on appendicitis development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between ambient meteorological conditions and the incidence of pediatric appendicitis.
• To explore the role of weather as a potential cofactor in appendicitis.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective case-crossover study design was employed.
• Meteorological data were analyzed for 1343 pediatric patients (aged ≤19 years) with acute or perforated appendicitis.
• Data spanned October 2001 to October 2018, utilizing time-stratified conditional logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Increased vapor pressure correlated with higher odds of acute appendicitis (AA), particularly in children over 10 and during spring.
• Higher relative humidity on the day of surgery was linked to decreased odds of perforated appendicitis (PA), especially in autumn.

Conclusions:

• Meteorological factors, including seasonal variations, humidity, and vapor pressure, may impact appendicitis.
• Transient weather fluctuations could be cofactors influencing the occurrence and severity of pediatric appendicitis.