Citation

Dummett NJ, Maughan NJ, Worrall-Davies A. Br. J. Psychiatry 2002; 181: 526-530.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.181.6.526

PMID

12456524

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Early studies suggested that presentations with unexplained acute abdominal pain were associated with increased long-term rates of hospital attendance and self-harm, especially in women, but few studies were large enough for definitive findings.
AIMS: To test the hypothesis that such presentations are followed by higher long-term utilisation rates of secondary health care even excluding further abdominal symptoms, and particularly for self-harm, than presentations with acute appendicitis.
METHOD: New hospital attendance rates, liaison psychiatry attendances and self-harm attendances of patients with normal appendices at emergency appendicectomy were compared with those of appendicitis patients.
RESULTS: Attendance rates of all kinds were significantly higher for normal appendix patients than for appendicitis patients, with equal strengths of finding for males and females.
CONCLUSIONS: People with normal appendices at emergency appendicectomy show higher long-term rates of hospital attendance. This has implications for how these patients are best managed by health care systems.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; Adult; Appendectomy; Appendicitis; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Self Mutilation; Time Factors