Abstract
With increased life expectancy and the growing total population of elderly patients, there has been rise in the number of cases of acute appendicitis in elderly people. Although acute appendicitis is not the most typical pathological condition in the elderly, it is not uncommon. Most of these patients require surgical treatment, and as with any acute surgical pathology in advanced age, treatment possibilities are affected by comorbidities, overall health status, and an increased risk of complications. In this literature review we discuss differences in acute appendicitis in the elderly population, with a focus on clinical signs, diagnostics, pathogenesis, treatment, and results.
Highlights
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical pathological conditions, with a lifetime risk of 7–8% [1]
There is a reduction in the incidence of acute appendicitis after adolescence, acute appendicitis in the elderly is not uncommon—15% of patients above the age of 50 that present in the emergency department with acute abdominal pain have acute appendicitis, and it is the second most common acute surgical pathological condition [4], with an increasing frequency [5]
Acute appendicitis is not the most common pathological condition in elderly patients with acute abdominal pain, as it presents in 3% [28] to 5% [29] of all patients requiring computed tomography (CT)
Summary
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical pathological conditions, with a lifetime risk of 7–8% [1]. There is a reduction in the incidence of acute appendicitis after adolescence, acute appendicitis in the elderly is not uncommon—15% of patients above the age of 50 that present in the emergency department with acute abdominal pain have acute appendicitis, and it is the second most common acute surgical pathological condition [4], with an increasing frequency [5]. The definition of the term “elderly” is somewhat unclear It has been considered as a chronological age of 65 or older, but the World Health Organization and the Japanese Geriatrics Society have recently suggested a cut-off value 75 or older based on improvements in physical function over the last 10–20 years [6]. In this text the term “elderly” will be used in accordance with the reviewed studies
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