Occurrence and Treatment of Pediatric Appendicitis in Finland 2004-2014

Background: We aimed to investigate the trends in occurrence and the treatment approaches of appendicitis in Finnish children.

Material and methods: All patients aged <16 y hospitalized for appendicitis in Finland in 2004-2014 were included. Data were retrospectively collected from the Finnish Care Register for Health Care and Statistics Finland.

Results: Altogether 8494 children were hospitalized for appendicitis, with standardized incidence rate of 80.7 (95% confidence interval 79.0-82.0)/100,000 person years. The incidence rate of appendicitis decreased by 3.3% per year during the study period. Appendicitis was more common with increasing age, in boys compared to girls at 8 to 15 y of age, and during the summer compared to the other seasons. Most children (83.2%) were treated with conventional open appendectomy, but laparoscopic appendectomies were slowly increasing during the study period. The length of hospital stay (LOS) was shorter in boys than girls, in those treated laparoscopically, and in those with uncomplicated appendicitis. There was no significant seasonal variation in the LOS. However, the LOS decreased during the study period.

Conclusions: The incidence of pediatric appendicitis is decreasing, and there is a decreasing trend in LOS. While still relatively rare in the Finnish pediatric surgical centers, the use of laparoscopic appendectomy is increasing.