Larger Physique as a Risk Factor for Infantile Appendicitis: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

The clinical features and risk factors of acute appendicitis in infants are unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the association between anthropometrics and the occurrence of infantile appendicitis. This was a retrospective study of infants (p = 0.003) and body weight (0.12 versus −0.36, p = 0.023), with no between-group difference for the Z-score of BMI. There was no difference in Z-scores for height, weight, and BMI between the perforated and non-perforated appendicitis infant groups. Infants presenting with acute appendicitis were characterized by a larger physique but with normal proportion. This trend was not observed in school-age children. Therefore, larger infants presenting with abdominal pain should be screened for appendicitis.

Keywords

• appendicitis
• body weight
• diagnosis
• abdominal pain
• pediatric emergency medicine