Mohammad Reza Ghasemian Moghaddam - Assistant professor, Department of Surgery, Imam Reza Hospital, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Mohammadmehdi Hassanzadeh-Taheri - Associate professor, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Mehran Hosseini - Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Department of Anatomy, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Mojtaba Salimi - Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Mahsa Hassanzadeh-Taheri - Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

Introduction: Appendectomy is one of the most performed surgeries worldwide. There are lots of factors involved in the incidence of appendicitis, and most of them vary among populations. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological aspects of appendicitis in Birjand, Iran, for the first time. Methods: This prospective study included ۶۶۶ cases out of ۶۷۳ acute appendicitis patients treated surgically in Imam Reza Hospital in Birjand, Iran, from May ۲۰۱۷ to ۲۰۱۹. The data were analyzed regarding gender, age groups, and season in SPSS software (version. ۲۲) using a t-test and the Chi-square test. A p-value of less than ۰.۰۵ was considered statistically significant. Results: The annual incidence of acute appendicitis in Birjand was ۱۲.۷۴ per ۱۰.۰۰۰ population with the mean age of ۲۵.۴۳±۱۴.۹۷ years. The highest frequency of appendectomy was observed in ۱۱-۲۰-year-old groups (۳۲.۱%) and then in ۲۱-۳۰-year-old groups (۲۷.۳%). The frequency of the appendectomy was higher in males than females (P=۰.۰۰۵), and the peak of the surgeries was in the summer. Moreover, the majority of the admitted patients in the summer were male (n=۱۲۳), whereas the frequency of female patients in the autumn was higher than that of males (n=۸۱). The most frequent pathological diagnosis in both genders was acute gangrenous appendicitis (i.e., ۴۴% in females and ۴۰% in the male). Furthermore, the incidence rates of advanced stages of appendicitis, such as "acute supportive appendicitis and periappendicitis" and "acute supportive appendicitis and priappendicitis with perforation" were significantly higher in males than females (P<۰.۰۵). Conclusions: The findings of this study provide basic epidemiological information for the first time regarding appendicitis status in Birjand, Iran. Since appendicitis was more frequent among youth and was more complicated in males, it is essential to inform these target groups about the signs and symptoms of this medical emergency.

Age, Appendicitis, Epidemiology, Incidence, Seasons