Background:

Appendicitis places a substantial burden on healthcare systems, with acute appendicitis alone being the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Further characterisation of the disease burden in EU15+ countries may help optimise the distribution of healthcare resources. The aim of this observational study was to assess the trends in mortality, incidence and DALYs of appendicitis across European Union (EU) 15+ countries between the years 1990 and 2019, Supplemental Digital Content 3, https://links.lww.com/JS9/A589.
Materials and methods:

Age standardised mortality rates (ASMRs), age standardised incidence rates (ASIRs) and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) data for appendicitis in males and females were extracted from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Temporal trends within the study period were analysed using Joinpoint regression analysis.
Results:

The median ASMRs across EU15+ countries in 2019 were 0.08/100,000 and 0.13/100,000 for females and males, respectively. Between 1990 and 2019 the median percentage change in ASMR was −52.12% for females and −53.18% in males. The median ASIRs in 2019 for females and males were 251/100,000 and 278/100,000, respectively, with a median percentage change of +7.22% for females and +3.78% for males during the observation period. Decreasing trends in DALYs were observed over the 30-year study period, with median percentage changes of −23.57% and −33.81% for females and males, respectively, Supplemental Digital Content 3, https://links.lww.com/JS9/A589.
Conclusion:

Overall, a general trend of decreasing appendicitis ASMRs and DALYs was observed across EU15+ countries, despite small overall increases in appendicitis ASIRs, Supplemental Digital Content 3, https://links.lww.com/JS9/A589. Variations in both diagnostic and management strategies over the study period are likely contributory to the changing trends.