an epidemiological survey on clustering appendicitis in chaharmahal and bakhtiari province

Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common and cause of abdominal pain resulting in surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate etiology of reported high incidence of appendicitis, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province clustering pattern. Methods: In a retrospective case control study, 54 subjects who had appendectomy were enrolled in the case group, and 54 were considered as the control group, all from 11 villages in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. The 24-hour Recall for Food Intake was used for both groups. Results: The rate of appendicitis in 11 surveyed villages was 1.57 % and it was 12 % in a village (population=275) which was considered as the core of the study. Diagnosis accuracy of appendicitis based on pathology was 57.14%. Comparing the exposure history revealed that suspected subjects in appendicitis group had history of consumption of wild vegetables [Kangar, Karafs, Tareh, Leveh and Mocheh) with 0R=7.75 and 95% CI: (2.8-21.87)] alone or mixed with local yogurt and consumption of a mixture [Telikeh with OR=6.25 and 95% CI: (2.4-16.1)]. Conclusion: In medical examinations of suspected cases for clustering appendicitis and candidates for appendectomy, attention to the nutritional history especially wild vegetables is necessary.