Appendicitis Can Often Be Treated With Antibiotics
June 18, 2015
Although surgical removal of the appendix has long been a standard treatment, a new study found that almost three-quarters of people treated with antibiotics could be spared the invasive procedure known as appendectomy.

"For more than a century, appendectomy has been the standard treatment," said the study's lead author Dr. Paulina Salminen, of Turku University Hospital in Finland.

But about 80 percent of patients with an inflamed appendix, commonly called appendicitis, don't need to have their appendix surgically removed, and those who ultimately do need the surgery aren't hurt by waiting, according to Salminen.

She thinks that this and other studies will change how appendicitis is treated. "Now we know that only a small proportion of appendicitis patients need an emergency operation," Salminen said.

However, there are two types of appendicitis -- one that always requires surgery and a milder form that can be treated with antibiotics, Salminen explained. "The majority of appendicitis is the milder form, making up almost 80 percent of the cases of appendicitis," she said.

The more serious type of appendicitis can cause the appendix to rupture. Treating this type of appendicitis requires that the appendix be removed, she said.

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Posted by Ken at 1:43 AM