VARIABILIDAD ESTACIONAL DE LA INCIDENCIA DE APENDICITIS AGUDA ASOCIADA CON LAS ALTERACIONES METEOROLÓGICAS EN LA POBLACIÓN PEDIÁTRICA DEL IESS CEIBOS DURANTE EL PERIODO 2018-2019.

Abstract

Acute appendicitis represents the most common surgical cause of acute abdominal pain in children. It represents a third of admissions for abdominal pain in the operating room. Diagnosis and treatment in children presents a unique set of challenges for clinicians. In Ecuador, appendicitis is the leading cause of morbidity, in 2017 there were 38,533 cases of acute appendicitis, which represented a rate of 22.97 per 10,000 inhabitants, being higher in men than in women. Ecuador has a tropical climate, however, each region of the Ecuadorian territory has particular climates. In Ecuador there are two seasons of summer and winter, although they fall into the classification of wet period and dry period, which are repeated twice a year. The present cross-sectional retrospective observational study focuses on determining the seasonal variability of the incidence of acute appendicitis in children associated with meteorological changes such as temperature. Of the 125 patients studied, 67.2% of the patients were male and the percentage remaining, feminine. The average age was 10 ± 2 years. Based on the seasonal classification, it was determined that 68.8% (n = 86) of the cases occurred in the wet period; while in the dry period 31.2% of the cases occurred (n = 39). The highest temperatures were found in the months January to May and October to December. A higher incidence of cases of acute appendicitis was demonstrated in the months of May to July. Although there is a trend towards a higher incidence of cases at higher temperatures, this correlation was weak and not significant.