ReviewDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)2022
Incidence of Complicated Appendicitis during the COVID-19 Pandemic versus the Pre-Pandemic Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 2782 Pediatric Appendectomies.
Review in Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence linking COVID-19 and the health/well-being of children and adolescents: an umbrella review.BMC medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Spontaneous Resolution of Uncomplicated Appendicitis may Explain Increase in Proportion of Complicated Appendicitis During Covid-19 Pandemic: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.World journal of surgery · 2023Pooled it
- Epidemiology of appendicitis in Ecuador, 2004-2024: a national time-series analysis of incidence, trends, geographic variation, and case-fatality rates.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Acute Appendicitis in Children During War Conflict: Results from a Multicenter Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 infection and complicated appendicitis in adults in Lima, Peru: a matched case-control study.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Acute Appendicitis in a Pediatric Minority Population: Uncommon Presentations of a Common Disease.Cureus · 2025Article
- Phlegmonous appendicitis as a variant of uncomplicated appendicitis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Changes in the Presentation and Severity of Acute Appendicitis: A Comparison of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Eras.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Advancement of Appendicitis in Children in the Pre-Pandemic and the Pandemic Year.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Appendicitis tends to be complicated during the COVID-19 epidemic: A multicentre retrospective study.Surgery open science · 2024Article
- Challenges and Solutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Hospitalization and Performance in Elective Pediatric Surgeries.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Comparison of Clinical, Pathological, and Procedural Characteristics of Adult and Pediatric Acute Appendicitis before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical management trends for acute appendicitis among the under-25s: a retrospective study.Archives of disease in childhood · 2024Article
- Analyzing the dynamics of complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Seoul, Korea: a multifaceted time series approach.Epidemiology and health · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on acute appendicitis presentation, management and pathology findings in adult and paediatric populations.PloS one · 2024Article
- Trends in Simple and Complex Appendicitis in Children and the Potential Correlation to Common Viral Pathogens-A Retrospective Cohort Study between 2010 and 2019 in The Netherlands.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Management of Pediatric Foreign Body Injuries during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an International Survey.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Tackling a Post-COVID-19 Cholecystectomy Waiting List: Are We Meeting the Challenge?Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Observational
- Reasons for Delayed Diagnosis of Pediatric Acute Appendicitis during the COVID-19 Era: A Narrative Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Trends and Predictors of Pediatric Negative Appendectomy Rates: A Single-Centre Retrospective Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted volume, management strategies and patient outcomes of acute appendicitis. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate whether the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in higher incidence of complicated appendicitis in children presenting with acute appendicitis compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. The secondary aim was to investigate the proportion of the patients treated by non-operative management (NOM).
methodsA systematic search of four scientific databases was performed. The search terms used were (coronavirus OR SARS-CoV-2 OR COVID-19 OR novel coronavirus) AND (appendicitis). The inclusion criteria were all patients aged <18 years and diagnosed with acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 periods. The proportion of children presenting with complicated appendicitis and the proportion of children managed by NOM was compared between the two groups. The Downs and Black scale was used for methodological quality assessment.
resultsThe present meta-analysis included thirteen studies (twelve retrospective studies and one cross-sectional study). A total of 2782 patients (1239 during the COVID-19 period) were included. A significantly higher incidence of complicated appendicitis (RR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.33-2.01,
conclusionThere is a significantly higher incidence of complicated appendicitis in children during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the pre-COVID-19 period. Additionally, a significantly higher proportion of children was managed via the NOM during the pandemic in comparison to the pre-pandemic period.
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Registered trials
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