Öz
Objective: Acute appendicitis is less common in the elderly than in young people. In this study, we aimed to evaluate patients with acute appendicitis aged 65 years and older and present the findings in light of the literature.
Material and Methods: The files of patients 65 years and older, who underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis in the general surgery clinic between 2010 and 2018, and whose diagnoses were histopathologically confirmed were evaluated retrospectively.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 70.875.68 (min:65-max:85) years; 19 (50%) of the patients were men and 19 (50%) were women. Three of the patients (7.9%) admitted to the hospital within the first 24 hours and 35 (92.1%) admitted 24 hours after the onset of their complaints. All patients had abdominal pain, 25 (65.8%) had loss of appetite, 12 (31.6%) had nausea - vomiting, and 8 (21.1%) had constipation. 26 patients (68.4%) had additional diseases. Perforation findings were detected in 10 (26.3%) patients. Wound infection developed in 3 (7.9%) patients, and ileus developed in the early period in 9 (23.7%) patients. The mean hospitalization duration was 3.713.06 days. None of the patients required intensive care, and no mortality was recorded.
Conclusion: Morbidity rates are higher in elderly people due to delay in diagnosis which is the result of disregarding the symptoms and late admission to the hospitals. It should be kept in mind that abdominal findings due to acute appendicitis may be obscure in elderly people and they might present with quite different clinical conditions.