Is Childhood Intussusception Seasonal? A Single Center Experience

Abstract

Background: The incidence of intussusception may vary from one season to another and from one country to another. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seasonality of childhood intussusception. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of infants, aged one year and below, who presented with intussusception (ultrasound confirmed) between January 2016 and December 2020 at the pediatric surgery unit of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) Enugu, Nigeria. Results: A total of 378 cases of intussusception in infants were seen during the study period. There were 236 (62.4%) and 142 (37.6%) females. The median age of the patients was 6 months with a range of 3 to 12 months. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom and most of the intussusceptions occurred during the dry season. Majority of the patients had operative treatment and surgical site infection was the most common postoperative complication. The overall outcome was good. However, 34 (9%) infants expired. Conclusion: Although intussusception can occur at any time of the year, this study has shown that more cases of intussusception are seen during the dry season in our centre. This spans over a period of October to March.