Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of children discharged with a diagnosis of appendicitis and no appendicitis during 2012 in the United States.
| Category | Appendicitis | Nonappendicitis | Incidence of appendicitis | Significance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (95% CI) | Proportion | N (95% CI) | Proportion | |||
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 53,459 (52,926–53,991) | 59.4% (59.1%–59.8%) | 1,117,099 (1,115,221–1,118,976) | 42.3% (42.2%–42.4%) | 4.6% (4.5%–4.6%) | RR: 1.955 (95% CI: 1.925–1.985) |
| Female | 36,475 (36,033–36,917) | 40.6% (40.2%–40.9%) | 1,524,697 (1,522,796–1,526,598) | 57.7% (57.6%–57.8%) | 2.3% (2.3%–2.4%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Age groups | ||||||
| 0-1 year | 53 (36–70) | 0.06% (0.04%–0.08%) | 335,621 (334,355–336,887) | 12.70% (12.7%–12.8%) | 0.02% (0.01%–0.02%) | p < 0.0001 |
| 1–5 years | 6,818 (6,626–7,010) | 7.6% (7.4%–7.8%) | 543,579 (542,050–545,107) | 20.6% (20.5%–20.6%) | 1.2% (1.2%–1.3%) | |
| 6–10 years | 23,258 (22,904–23,612) | 25.9% (25.5%–26.2%) | 282,554 (281,384–283,725) | 10.7% (10.7%–10.7%) | 7.6% (7.5%–7.7%) | |
| 11–15 years | 29,800 (29,400–30,200) | 33.1% (32.8%–33.5%) | 378,557 (377,230–379,884) | 14.3% (14.3%–14.4%) | 7.3% (7.2%–7.4%) | |
| 16–20 years | 30,006 (29,607–30,406) | 33.4% (33.0%–33.7%) | 1,101,777 (1,099,997–1,103,557) | 41.7% (41.6%–41.8%) | 2.7% (2.6%–2.7%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||
| White | 42,743 (42,264–43,222) | 47.5% (47.1%–47.9%) | 1,208,008 (1,206,122–1,209,893) | 45.7% (45.7%–45.8%) | 3.4% (3.4%–3.5%) | p < 0.0001 |
| Black | 5,691 (5,514–5,867) | 6.3% (6.1%–6.5%) | 481,980 (480,532–483,427) | 18.2% (18.2%–18.3%) | 1.2% (1.1%–1.2%) | |
| Hispanic | 28,944 (28,554–29,335) | 32.2% (31.8%–32.5%) | 536,019 (534,557–537,482) | 20.3% (20.2%–20.3%) | 5.1% (5.1%–5.2%) | |
| Others | 12,557 (12,297–12,817) | 14.0% (13.7%–14.2%) | 416,081 (414,723–417,440) | 15.7% (15.7%–15.8%) | 2.9% (2.9%–3.0%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Seasons | ||||||
| Spring | 23,321 (22,967–23,675) | 25.9% (25.6%–26.3%) | 671,637 (669,973–673,301) | 25.4% (25.4%–25.5%) | 3.4% (3.3%–3.4%) | p < 0.001 |
| Summer | 23,476 (23,121–23,831) | 26.1% (25.8%–26.4%) | 612,360 (610,751–613,970) | 23.2% (23.1%–23.2%) | 3.7% (3.6%–3.7%) | |
| Fall | 21,174 (20,836–21,511) | 23.5% (23.2%–23.9%) | 648,793 (647,146–650,440) | 24.6% (24.5%–24.6%) | 3.2% (3.1%–3.2%) | |
| Winter | 21,964 (21,621–22,308) | 24.4% (24.1%–24.8%) | 709,298 (707,599–710,997) | 26.8% (26.8%–26.9%) | 3.0% (3.0%–3.1%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Regions | ||||||
| Northeast | 16,628 (16,334–16,922) | 18.5% (18.2%–18.8%) | 467,401 (466,752–468,050) | 17.7% (17.7%–17.7%) | 3.4% (3.4%–3.5%) | p < 0.0001 |
| Midwest | 14,965 (14,689–15,241) | 16.6% (16.4%–16.9%) | 591,402 (590,595–592,208) | 22.4% (22.4%–22.4%) | 2.5% (2.4%–2.5%) | |
| South | 28,961 (28,559–29,363) | 32.2% (31.8%–32.6%) | 1,032,818 (1,031,924–1,033,712) | 39.1% (39.1%–39.1%) | 2.7% (2.7%–2.8%) | |
| West | 29,382 (28,999–29,765) | 32.7% (32.3%–33.0%) | 550,468 (549,621–551,314) | 20.8% (20.8%–20.9%) | 5.1% (5.0%–5.1%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Median household income for patient ZIP code | ||||||
| 1st quartile | 24,834 (24,465–25,202) | 28.2% (27.8%–28.5%) | 890,762 (889,010–892,515) | 34.5% (34.4%–34.6%) | 2.7% (2.7%–2.8%) | p < 0.0001 |
| 2nd quartile | 21,153 (20,815–21,492) | 24.0% (23.7%–24.3%) | 647,040 (645,411–648,670) | 25.0% (25.0%–25.1%) | 3.2% (3.1%–3.2%) | |
| 3rd quartile | 21,297 (20,961–21,634) | 24.2% (23.8%–24.5%) | 575,423 (573,870–576,975) | 22.3% (22.2%–22.3%) | 3.6% (3.5%–3.6%) | |
| 4th quartile | 20,818 (20,488–21,148) | 23.6% (23.3%–24.0%) | 469,783 (468,373–471,193) | 18.2% (18.1%–18.2%) | 4.2% (4.2%–4.3%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Insurance | ||||||
| Government | 36,422 (35,979–36,864) | 40.5% (40.1%–40.9%) | 1,416,366 (1,414,447–1,418,285) | 53.6% (53.5%–53.7%) | 2.5% (2.5%–2.5%) | p < 0.0001 |
| Private | 43,883 (43,401–44,364) | 48.8% (48.4%–49.2%) | 994,609 (992,769–996,450) | 37.6% (37.6%–37.7%) | 4.2% (4.2%–4.3%) | |
| Others | 9,631 (9,402–9,860) | 10.7% (10.5%–11.0%) | 231,113 (230,036–232,190) | 8.7% (8.7%–8.8%) | 4.0% (3.9%–4.1%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Urban vs. rural | ||||||
| Urban | 76,543 (75,914–77,172) | 85.1% (84.8%–85.4%) | 2,190,504 (2,189,244–2,191,764) | 82.9% (82.9%–83.0%) | 3.4% (3.3%–3.4%) | RR: 1.172 (95% CI: 1.147–1.198) |
| Rural | 13,392 (13,116–13,668) | 14.9% (14.6%–15.2%) | 451,584 (450,456–452,712) | 17.1% (17.0%–17.1%) | 2.9% (2.8%–2.9%) | |
|
| ||||||
| Hospital type | ||||||
| Children's hospital | 14,724 (14,438–15,010) | 16.4% (16.1%–16.7%) | 514,364 (514,042–514,686) | 19.5% (19.5%–19.5%) | 2.8% (2.7%–2.8%) | RR: 0.994 (95% CI: 0.993–0.994) |
| Non-children's hospital | 75,212 (74,589–75,834) | 83.6% (83.3%–83.9%) | 2,127,724 (2,127,088–2,128,359) | 80.5% (80.5%–80.5%) | 3.4% (3.4%–3.4%) | |