Appendicitis in a tropical African population

Acute appendicitis was once thought to be rare among rural blacks. It is now known that appendicitis is relatively common among Africans and in Africa. At the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdomen on the surgical service.One hundred and eighty-one cases of appendicitis were operated on in a two-year period from June 1975 to June 1977. A retrospective analysis of 47 fully documented cases showed that wrong diagnosis occurred more often in females than in males. There was a high incidence of perforation (31.9 percent) in this series. Deaths occurred in perforated cases and cases complicated by typhoid perforation of the terminal ileum. Parasites and their ova were often present in the lumen of some appendices.The age group most affected was 16 to 20 years. This disease affected low, middle and upper income groups in our society. Chronic, recurrent appendicitis was frequently diagnosed (31.9 percent) and history of recurrent right lower quadrant pain as far back as three months was often elicited from these patients.