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Can you catch appendicitis(1)?

And if you do, is it necessarily an emergency that demands immediate surgery(2)?

Yes and no(3), according to(4) a new study by UT Southwestern Medical Center surgeons(5) and physicians.

The researchers(6) evaluated(7) data over a 36-year period from the National Hospital Discharge(8) Survey and concluded in a paper appearing in the January issue of Archives(9) of Surgery that appendicitis may be caused by undetermined(10) viral(11) infection(12) or infections, said Dr. Edward Livingston, chief of GI(13)/endocrine(14) surgery(15) at UT Southwestern and senior author(16) of the report.

The review of hospital discharge data runs counter to(17) traditional thought, suggesting that appendicitis doesn’t necessarily lead to(18) a burst appendix(19) if the organ(20) is not removed quickly, Dr. Livingston said.

“Just as the traditional appendix scar(21) across the abdomen(22) is fast becoming history(23), thanks to new single-incision(24) surgery techniques that hide a tiny scar in the bellybutton(25), so too may the conventional wisdom(26) that patients with appendicitis need to be operated on as soon as they enter the hospital,” said Dr. Livingston. “Patients still need to be seen quickly by a physician, but emergency surgery(27) is now in question(28).”

Appendicitis is the most common reason for emergency general surgery, leading to(29) some 280,000 appendectomies(30) being performed annually(31).

Appendicitis was first identified in 1886. Since then, doctors have presumed(32) quick removal(33) of the appendix was a necessity to avoid a subsequent(34) bursting, which can be an emergency. Because removing the appendix solves the problems and is generally safe, removal became the standard medical practice in the early 20th century.