AUTHOR=Yeob Kyoung Eun , Kim So Young , Park Jong Eun , Park Jong Hyock 

TITLE=Complicated Appendicitis Among Adults With and Without Disabilities: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study in South Korea

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.813608

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.813608

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Objective: Appendicitis is usually diagnosed based on a reliable set of signs and symptoms, and can be effectively treated with surgery, with low morbidity and mortality rates. However, appendicitis is often overlooked in vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities. This study compared 10-year trends of complicated appendicitis between South Koreans with a disability, according to disability severity and type, and those without disabilities
Methods: To identify cases of appendicitis, we used the DRG codes in the National Health Information Database of South Korea. Patients with appendicitis were classified in terms of severity based on the DRG codes. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated for each year during 2008–2017 according to the presence, type, and severity of the disability. Factors associated with complicated appendicitis were examined by multivariate logistic regression using the most recent data (i.e., 2016–2017).
Results: The incidence of appendicitis was higher in non-disabled people, while the incidence of complicated appendicitis was higher in people with disabilities, especially those with severe disabilities (26.9% vs. 11.6%). This difference was particularly marked when considering those with a severe disability (aOR = 1.868, 95% CI: 1.511–2.309), internal organ problems (aOR = 10.000, 95% CI: 5.365–18.638) or a mental disability (aOR =2.779, 95% CI: 1.563–4.939).
Conclusions: Our findings indicate barriers to healthcare access among people with disabilities, particularly those with a severe disability, internal organ problem, or mental disability. Given that these barriers lead to deterioration of patient condition, policies promoting healthcare accessibility for people with disabilities are needed.