Investigation and Comparison of Preoperative Symptoms in Patients With Appendicitis and Cholecystitis Before Appendectomy and Cholecystectomy Surgeries

Introduction: Appendectomy and cholecystectomy are the surgical procedures to treat appendicitis and cholecystitis, respectively. However, there is a lack of investigation regarding these two similar types of abdominal complication-based disease which may primarily create confusion within patients.

Methods: To understand the variation and similarities within the preoperative symptoms of these two diseases, we included 224 participants including both appendicitis (n = 175) and cholecystitis (n = 49) patients. We obtained the preoperative symptoms through physical check-ups, thorough observation, and questionnaires.

Result: We found several symptoms in both patients where abdominal pain was present in all patients in both groups. However, followed by abdominal pain, vomiting (118 (67.42%)), pain RIF (right iliac fossa) (101 (57.71%)), nausea (71 (40.57%)), and sharp pain (22 (12.57%)) were prevalent in the appendicitis group whereas tenderness (49 (100%)), epigastric pain (13 (26.53%)), and hypertension (10 (20.41%)) were prevalent in the cholecystitis group. However, fever was commonly present in several patients in both groups. Conclusion: Abdominal pain can be a major indicator of surgery in both appendicitis and cholecystitis patients. However, observation of other symptoms is crucial for initial symptomatic diagnosis and differentiating between these diseases.