Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Sep 18;6(3):93.
doi: 10.3390/geriatrics6030093.

Acute Appendicitis in the Elderly: A Literature Review on an Increasingly Frequent Surgical Problem

Sintija Lapsa  1 , Arturs Ozolins  1   2 , Ilze Strumfa  3 , Janis Gardovskis  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Acute Appendicitis in the Elderly: A Literature Review on an Increasingly Frequent Surgical Problem

Sintija Lapsa et al. Geriatrics (Basel). .

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.

Keywords: acute appendicitis; elderly; surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Stewart B., Khanduri P., McCord C., Ohene-Yeboah M., Uranues S., Rivera F.V., Mock C. Global disease burden of conditions requiring emergency surgery. Br. J. Surg. 2014;101:e9–e22. doi: 10.1002/bjs.9329. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ferris M., Quan S., Kaplan B.S., Molodecky N., Ball C.G., Chernoff G.W., Bhala N., Ghosh S., Dixon E., Ng S., et al. The Global Incidence of Appendicitis. Ann. Surg. 2017;266:237–241. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002188. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Oeppen J., Vaupel J.W. Broken limits to life Expectancy. Sci. Compass. 2002;296:1029–1031. - PubMed
    1. Kraemer M., Franke C., Ohmann C., Yang Q., The Acute Abdominal Pain Study Group Acute appendicitis in late adulthood: Incidence, presentation, and outcome. Results of a prospective multicenter acute abdominal pain study and a review of the literature. Langenbeck’s Arch. Surg. 2000;385:470–481. doi: 10.1007/s004230000165. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weinandt M., Godiris-Petit G., Menegaux F., Chereau N., Lupinacci R.M. Appendicitis is a Severe Disease in Elderly Patients: A Twenty-Year Audit. JSLS J. Soc. Laparoendosc. Surg. 2020;24:1–8. doi: 10.4293/jsls.2020.00046. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources