Disorders of Small and Large Intestine : Bowel Movement Patterns and Dietary Fiber Consumption in Pediatric Patients With Appendicitis In Shiraz, Southern Iran

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Background/Aims: Acute appendicitis is one the most important causes of acute abdominal peritonitis emergency laparatomy. This study aimed to determine the bowel movement patterns and dietary fiber consumption in pediatric patients with appendicitis in Shiraz, southern Iran. Methods: The study included 202 pediatric patients under the age of 18 years at Nemazee Hospital affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, who had undergone appendectomy with the preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis from March 2003 to March 2004. A written semi-standard questionnaire was used to record age, gender, stool consistency, number of bowel movements, type of bread consumed, habit of fruit and vegetable consumption, clinical presentation, the time taken from onset of symptoms to arrival in hospital, the interval between date of admission in the emergency room to the time of surgery, and the duration of postoperative hospitalization. The pathology of appendicitis was clarified and recorded. Results: The patients aged from 3-8 years (mean=11.2, SD=3.6 years), with the male to female ratio of 2:4. Anorexia was the most common symptom (78.7%). Of 31 patients with constipation, 58% did not report daily regular intake of fruits. Only 3 patients (9.7%) had regular daily consumption of vegetables, and 27 patients (87.1%) had pathology reports of fecalith, while in the non-constipated patients, only 1.2% had such reports. The abdominal pain was periumbilical in many patients (42.6%), which shifted to MeBurny point in most patients (96%). 134 patients (66.3%) visited a health center within 24 hours after the first symptoms. Surgeries were performed on 132 patients (65.3%) within 6 hours, on 67 patients (33%) within 6-12 hours, and on 3 patients (2%) in more than 12 hours. Conclusions: Our findings suggested a high rate of constipation in patients with lower fiber intake, which was consistent with the hypothesis indicating the role of dietary fibers in lowering the incidence of appendicitis.