Antibiotics ‘are better than surgery’ for treating appendicitis

THOUSANDS of patients could be spared needless surgery for appendicitis each year if they were given antibiotics instead, a study found.

Treating cases of ‘uncomplicated’ appendicitis with strong antibiotics was found to be a safe alternative to appendectomies. The study found that more than six in ten patients who were first treated with antibiotics had not had their appendix removed five years later.

Even many of the patients who underwent surgery may not have needed to, scientists suggest. They say treating patients with drugs instead would save lives, aid patient recovery and reduce NHS costs.

Uncomplicated appendicitis – where the appendix is inflamed but has not led to perforation of the organ or a serious infection – accounts for 80 per cent of cases. The remainder are deemed complicated and surgery remains the only option, say researchers from Turku University Hospital, Finland.

Around 40,000 patients are treated for appendicitis by the NHS every year, and in most cases the appendix is removed ‘as soon as possible’, making it one of the most common operations in the UK.

The researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of antibiotics compared to surgery once uncomplicated appendicitis had been diagnosed.

In a study involving 530 patients, 273 had their appendix removed while the remaining 257 were given a ten-day course of antibiotics.

Of those treated with antibiotics, 100 patients (39 per cent) suffered relapses within five years and underwent an appendectomy. The researchers said none suffered serious complications from a delay in having the appendix removed.

‘Usually removed as soon as possible’