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Appendicitis: higher risk in Mexican Americans?
V A Lawrence1, M R Tuley, A K Diehl
1Department of Medicine, Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Ethnicity & Health
|September 1, 1996
Summary
Mexican Americans (MAs) undergo appendectomy more frequently than White non-Hispanics (WNHs). This suggests a potentially higher risk of appendicitis among MAs, warranting further investigation into ethnic disparities in surgical procedures.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Surgical Outcomes
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Mexican Americans (MAs) exhibit distinct health profiles compared to White non-Hispanics (WNHs), with higher rates of certain diseases but lower rates of others.
- Existing research on ethnic variations in disease incidence is limited, particularly concerning surgical procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To confirm known ethnic differences in disease incidence using surgical procedure data.
- To investigate the hypothesis that MAs have a higher incidence of appendectomy compared to WNHs.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of surgical procedures was conducted at two South Texas teaching hospitals.
- Proportional Operation Ratios (PORs) were calculated to compare appendectomy rates between MAs and WNHs.
- PORs were used as a proxy for proportional incidence, similar to proportional mortality ratios.
Main Results:
- MAs showed significantly higher proportional rates of appendectomy than WNHs at both hospitals (PORs of 1.41 and 1.75, p < 0.0001).
- Additional findings corroborated known ethnic disparities in procedures for biliary tract operations, vascular access for hemodialysis, lung cancer, and coronary artery bypass.
Conclusions:
- The study supports the hypothesis that Mexican Americans undergo appendectomy more frequently than White non-Hispanics.
- This elevated rate suggests a potentially higher risk of appendicitis among the MA population.