WHY ARE PATIENTS NOT SCANNED?

AnOTHer concern is that because appendix patients are not routinely scanned, many may be having their appendix removed unnecessarily. Only 15 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in the uK with suspected appendicitis receive a CT scan. in countries such as the u.S., almost all patients undergo scans before having surgery, while in the uK, whether or not you have a scan is down to the doctor and whether a scan is available.

This means that if appendicitis is suspected, surgery may go ahead without a confirmed diagnosis in order to prevent complications. But it means healthy appendixes are removed, too.

A study in 2019, published in the British Journal of Surgery, found that 28 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men in the uK who undergo surgery for suspected appendicitis end up having a normal appendix removed.

university in the u.S., suggested that the appendix may serve as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria. She found that lymphatic tissue in it can stimulate growth of some types of beneficial bacteria, so the appendix may be able to ‘repopulate’ the gut with good bacteria wiped out by an infection.

Studies have shown that people who have had their appendix removed are more likely to suffer from gut infections such as C. difficile, which can be fatal.

removal of the appendix is also linked to a three-fold increase in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, which has strong associations with a protein in the gut, according to an analysis of 62 million records in 2019 by u.S. scientists.

‘While we know that the body functions fine without the appendix, the conventional wisdom that it is a redundant organ is misplaced,’ says Professor Sanderson.

With prevention better than cure, Mr Paraskeva offers the following advice on how to reduce the risk of appendicitis: ‘eat plenty of fibre to prevent constipation and keep well hydrated — everyone can be better at that,’ he says.

RACHEL ELLIS