Epidemiological and Therapeutic Aspects of Appendicitis at the Fana Reference Health Center

Abstract

Summary: Acute appendicitis is an acute inflammation of the vermiform appendix. The objective is to study acute appendicitis in the Fana reference health center. Patients and methods: prospective study which extended over a period of twelve months from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Results: 72 cases of appendicitis identified which represented 11.52% of surgical interventions, 48.98% of digestive surgical emergencies and 90.3% of our patients were received in emergency. We observed a male predominance with 55.6%, a ratio of 1.25. The most represented age group was that of 5 to 20 years, i.e. a rate of 38.9% and the average age was 27.31 ± 13.76 years with extremes ranging from 7 to 65 years. The housekeeping profession was the most dominant with a workforce of 24 or a rate of 33.3%. The majority of our patients were operated under general anesthesia with a rate of 66.7%. The Mac Burney point was the site of the incision of the majority of our patients, a rate of 87.5%. The duration of hospitalization of our patients was 5 days in 68 of our patients, a rate of 94.4%. Conclusion: Acute appendicitis is the most frequent abdominal emergency at CS Ref Fana but similar to that observed in other tropical African countries. It is a condition with low morbidity and mortality when diagnosed and treated early.