Appendicitis linked to risk for Crohn's disease - Brief Article

AORN Journal, May, 2003

Patients prone to developing appendicitis also are at increased risk for developing Crohn's disease, according to a Jan 1, 2003, news release from the American Gastroenterological Association. In a Swedish study of 212,218 patients, half of whom had undergone appendectomies between 1964 and 1993, 613 participants were diagnosed with Crohn's disease during a 12-year follow-up period. Of those participants, 56% had undergone an appendectomy.

The cause of the appendectomy and patients' gender and age were found to affect their risk for developing Crohn's disease. Patients whose appendix had perforated before surgery were at higher risk, developed a more aggressive form of Crohn's disease, and had poorer prognoses than patients who underwent appendectomy for other reasons. Women were found to be at higher risk than men. Children who had an appendectomy before they reached age 10 were found to be at lower risk for developing the disease.

Researchers emphasize, however, that the absolute risk for developing Crohn's disease in 10 years is two patients per 1,000 appendectomies, and there is no reason to believe that appendectomy is the cause of increased risk. Approximately 303,000 patients undergo appendectomies in the United States each year.

In 1998, 359,000 people in the United States suffered from Crohn's disease, which causes painful inflammation of the small intestine. Symptoms of the disease include

* abdominal pain, often in the lower right area of the body;

* diarrhea;

* rectal bleeding, which may lead to anemia;

* weight loss; and

* fever.

Children with Crohn's disease may experience delayed development and stunted growth. There are many theories about what causes Crohn's disease, but none has been proven.

Appendectomy Patients Are at Increased Risk for Crohn's Disease (news release, Bethesda, Md: The American Gostroenterologicol Association, Jan 1, 2003) http://www.gostro.org/public/media/newsreleases/crohnsDisease03.html (accessed 21 Feb 2003).