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Cited by 23Appendicitis Diagnosis and ManagementClimate Change and Health ImpactsIntraperitoneal and Appendiceal Malignancies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 15 of the 15 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Seasonal and climatic variation in the incidence of adult acute appendicitis: a seven year longitudinal analysis

Open access
York, Thomas James·2020·BMC Emergency Medicine

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis represents an extremely common surgical emergency, yet its aetiology remains uncertain. A multifactorial understanding of its causation has emerged along with increasing evidence of seasonal variation. This study seeks to find evidence for such a circannual trend within the United Kingdom (UK), and further assess key meteorological indicators which may be causative of any such variation. METHODS: The patient records of a region health body in the North East of England were retrospectively assessed over a 7-year period. The incident cases of acute appendicitis were recorded and averaged by month before undergoing statistical analysis for variation and correlation with average temperature, sunlight hours, and rainfall. RESULTS: The incidence of acute appendicitis revealed significant seasonal variation with only 38 incident cases in the months of January compared to 73 in July, a 92.1% increase. Only a weak correlation was seen between incidence and average sunlight hours/rainfall, however a significant, positive correlation was found between incidence and average temperature (r = 0.58, p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Compelling evidence is found to support the existence of a circannual trend for acute appendicitis. Data suggests a seasonal peak in the month of July, accompanied by a low in January, a finding that develops the understanding of this trend from previously equivocal research in the UK. A clear correlation is also established between the incidence of acute appendicitis and average temperature. The 92.1% increase between the coolest and warmest months suggests a greater magnitude for this as a risk factor than has previously been shown.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s12873-020-00321-2

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Statistics

Figures

Fig. 1 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 (resolved by month) against the expected, mean incidence
Fig. 1 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 (resolved by month) against the expected, mean incidenceCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 against the average number of monthly sunlight hours for the same period and geographic area
Fig. 2 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 against the average number of monthly sunlight hours for the same period and geographic areaCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 3 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 against the average monthly rainfall for the same period and geographic area
Fig. 3 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 against the average monthly rainfall for the same period and geographic areaCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 4 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 against the average monthly temperature for the same period and geographic area
Fig. 4 Displays cumulative incidence of acute appendicitis admissions from 2012 to 2019 against the average monthly temperature for the same period and geographic areaCC BY · PubMed Central

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Citations

Cites

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Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
York, T. J.
Affiliations
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (GB)
Corresponding author
York, Thomas James
Venue
BMC Emergency Medicine
Published
2020-04-07
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
24-24
ISSN
1471-227X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3014718012
Cited by
23
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1
FWCI
3.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • BMC Emergency Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Appendicitis Diagnosis and Management
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Intraperitoneal and Appendiceal Malignancies
Keywords
acute appendicitis, seasonal variation, circannual variation, meteorological factors, ambient temperature, sunshine duration, rainfall, appendicitis incidence
MeSH terms
Adult, Appendicitis, Climate, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Retrospective Studies, Seasons, Incidence

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