Appendicitis—a study of incidence, death rates and consumption of hospital resources

Abstract

Summary: The incidence of appendicitis in a population of 1.07 million is estimated based on discharge rates compiled by the Central Bureau of Statistics for the years 1977 and 1978. A crude incidence rate of 140 per 100,000 inhabitants is found with a male dominance (153 v. 126). The lowest incidence rate is found in the age group 0–4, whereas the highest rates are found for patients 15–24 years of age. Seventy-four per cent of all appendicitis cases is found in the age group 5–34 years. The mean length of stay was 6.5 days, but with differences between the counties studied of up to 60%. A yearly death rate of 0.30–0.37% with a male dominance is revealed. Appendicitis cases consume only 1.2% of all hospital discharges but 11.8% of all discharges for gastrointestinal diseases. A comparison with previous studies is performed and it is suggested that most of the reported reduction in incidence rates for appendicitis most probably is caused by a more reliable data base in the recent years.