Is there a seasonal distribution of acute appendicitis in Iraqi children?

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to define the seasonal distribution of acute appendicitis (AA) in Iraqi children, if any, test the significant effect of age and sex on this distribution, and compare our results with those reported previously.BackgroundAA is one of the most common causes of abdominal pain and indication for emergency abdominal surgery in children. The few anecdotal published studies have shown variable association of seasonality with AA in children.Patients and methodsWe carried out a retrospective study on 1091 pediatric appendectomies at Children's Welfare Teaching Hospital in Baghdad between 2009 and 2014. Data of age, sex, and monthly and seasonal distribution were obtained from medical files. Descriptive statistics and the c2-test were used to describe and analyze data, respectively.ResultsThe highest rates (30.7 and 30.4%, respectively) were found in the winter and summer months, whereas the lowest rates (20.6 and 18.2%, respectively) were found in the spring and fall. Seasonality was not statistically associated with age (P = 0.120) or sex (P = 0.251).ConclusionThe results indicate a seasonality of AA in the population studied. Pediatricians and pediatric surgeons should take into account this seasonality when evaluating children with acute abdominal pain. Further large-scale multicenter studies are recommended to confirm our observation.