Evaluación clínica de la apendicitis aguda en diferentes grupos etarios en el Hospital León Becerra Milagro año 2020- 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the leading cause of surgical morbidity, with a considerable number of cases annually. Clinical manifestations and complications vary according to age group, physiological and anatomical factors. Objective: To evaluate the clinical manifestations of acute appendicitis according to the three age groups attended at the Hospital General León Becerra de Milagro during the period 2020 to 2024. Methodology: This study had an observational, non-experimental, retrospective, cross-sectional and analytical design. Results: 251 patients with acute appendicitis were identified during the study period. The most frequent age group was 18 to 49 years old (69.7%), followed by children under 17 years old (21.9%). Abdominal pain was the most common symptom in all age groups, predominantly in adults aged 18 to 49 years (98.3%), with a statistically significant association (p = 0.000). The most reported complication was appendiceal perforation in all age groups, with more cases in those older than 50 years (33.3%). Appendectomy was the most frequent treatment of choice in all groups, with a high rate of performance (98.8% in adults aged 18 to 49 years, 96.4% in those younger than 17 years and 95.2% in those older than 50 years). Conclusion: Acute appendicitis was diagnosed mainly in adults, with abdominal pain being the most frequent clinical manifestation. In older adults, the diagnosis was later due to atypical symptoms, where there was a higher number of patients with appendiceal perforation, which was the most reported complication.