Epidemiology
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common acute surgical abdominal emergencies.[4]Koepsell TD. In search of the cause of appendicitis. Epidemiology. 1991 Sep;2(5):319-21.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1742378?tool=bestpractice.com
More than 250,000 appendectomies are performed each year in the US; however, the incidence is lower in populations where a high-fiber diet is consumed.[5]Owings MF, Kozak LJ. Ambulatory and inpatient procedures in the United States, 1996. Vital Health Stat 13. 1998 Nov;(139):1-119.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_139.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9866429?tool=bestpractice.com
[6]Arnbjornsson E. Acute appendicitis and dietary fiber. Arch Surg. 1983 Jul;118(7):868-70.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6305309?tool=bestpractice.com
The overall lifetime risk of developing acute appendicitis is 8.6% for males and 6.7% for females; lifetime risk of appendectomy is around 12% in males and 23% in females.[7]Korner H, Sondenaa K, Soreide JA, et al. Incidence of nonperforated and perforated appendicitis: age-specific and sex-specific analysis. World J Surg. 1997 Mar-Apr;21(3):313-7.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9015177?tool=bestpractice.com
[8]Addiss DG, Shaffer N, Fowler BS, et al. The epidemiology of appendicitis and appendectomy in the United States. Am J Epidemol. 1990 Nov;132(5):910-25.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2239906?tool=bestpractice.com
Globally, the pooled incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy is around 100 per 100,000 person years.[9]Ferris M, Quan S, Kaplan BS, et al. The global incidence of appendicitis: a systematic review of population-based studies. Ann Surg. 2017 Aug;266(2):237-41.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28288060?tool=bestpractice.com
Data suggest a rapid increase in incidence in newly industrialized countries.[9]Ferris M, Quan S, Kaplan BS, et al. The global incidence of appendicitis: a systematic review of population-based studies. Ann Surg. 2017 Aug;266(2):237-41.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28288060?tool=bestpractice.com
The condition is most commonly seen in patients aged between early teens and late 40s. There is a slight male to female predominance (1.3:1).