ReviewNature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology2023
The appendix and ulcerative colitis - an unsolved connection.
Review in Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors associated with ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Histopathological Findings of Appendix Specimens in Quiescent Ulcerative Colitis: Correlations With Clinical Outcomes in the ACCURE Trial.United European gastroenterology journal · 2026Trial
- A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Nifuroxazide in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Trial
- The exposome and inflammatory bowel disease: a framework for primary and primordial prevention.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
- Appendix in ulcerative colitis pathogenesis and therapy: An updated narrative review.World journal of gastrointestinal pathophysiology · 2026Review
- Optimization of deep eutectic solvents-based ultrasonic-assisted three-phase partitioning extraction of polysaccharides from Pleurotus tuber-regium and its anti-ulcerative colitis activity.Ultrasonics sonochemistry · 2026Article
- The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease: exploring the impacts of environmental factors.The Korean journal of internal medicine · 2026Review
- Relationship between the appendix and ulcerative colitis: A new discovery.World journal of gastrointestinal endoscopy · 2026Review
- Non-operative treatment strategy versus surgery for children with simple appendicitis: non-inferiority randomised controlled trial.BMJ medicine · 2026Article
- The appendix and ulcerative colitis: from an unsolved connection to a therapeutic strategy.Translational gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Article
- Reconsidering therapeutic strategies after biologic failure in ulcerative colitis: appendectomy versus Janus kinase inhibition.Translational gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Article
- Dissecting the potential impact of appendectomy on colorectal cancer through metabolites and inflammatory proteins: a Mendelian randomization study.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2026Article
- Routine Stent Placement in Endoscopic Management of Appendicitis: Necessity or Optional?Endoscopy international open · 2026Article
- Evidence for genetic correlation between appendix and inflammatory bowel disease: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.PloS one · 2026Article
- The diagnostic significance of Doppler ultrasound assessment of superior mesenteric artery hemodynamic changes in acute suppurative appendicitis: an integrated analysis of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Clinical significance of the systemic immune-inflammation index in relation to pathology, treatment and outcomes in acute appendicitis: a retrospective study.Annals of medicine · 2025Article
- Association of appendectomy with disease phenotype and clinical course in Crohn's disease: results from two cohorts.Techniques in coloproctology · 2025Article
- Identifying Potential Targets for the Interception of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Toward Precision Prevention.Inflammatory bowel diseases · 2025Review
- The association between appendectomy and increased invasion of ascending colon cancer: a retrospective study involving 880 patients.World journal of surgical oncology · 2025Article
- Repurposing Atorvastatin, HMGCO-A Reductase Inhibitor, in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized Controlled Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The appendix is thought to have a role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, but the nature and basis of this association remains unclear. In this Perspective, we consider the biology of the appendix with respect to its immunological function and the microbiome, and how this relates to evidence that supports the involvement of the appendix in ulcerative colitis. In experimental models, removal of the inflamed appendix prevents colitis, and in human observational studies, appendectomy is associated with protection against ulcerative colitis. Further, among people who develop ulcerative colitis, appendectomy before diagnosis might influence the course and outcomes of the disease - some evidence suggests that it protects against colectomy but could increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Appendectomy after onset of ulcerative colitis seems to have disparate consequences. Clinical trials to understand whether appendectomy has a role in the treatment of ulcerative colitis are ongoing. Major questions about the role of the appendix in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis remain unanswered, and further research is needed to establish whether the connection is clinically relevant.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.