Appendectomy May Increase Risk of Crohn’s Disease

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Dr. Mercola

February 01 2003

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Appendectomy May Increase Risk of Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease, a rare digestive disorder, is more likely to appear in people who have had their appendix removed, according to a recent study of 200,000 people.

The study compared people who had had an appendectomy with those who had not, and found that those who had undergone the surgery were 47 percent more likely to develop Crohn’s disease, not only soon after surgery but also 10 years later, than those who had not.

Researchers are not certain whether appendicitis increases the risk of Crohn’s disease or vice versa, but hope the association will lead to an increased understanding of both conditions.

There is no known cure for Crohn's disease, which is a type of inflammatory bowel disease with symptoms that include pain, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, bleeding and weight loss.

The causes of appendicitis are also unknown, though one theory associates the condition with a lack of fiber. Researchers note that this association has not been proven.

Gastroenterology January 2003;124:40-46

Radiology October 2002;225(1):131-6

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It is a common belief that you don’t need your appendix for anything so there is no problem if it is removed. In fact, this doctrine is so widely held that many surgeons remove the appendix when performing abdominal surgeries for other reasons.

Well don’t be fooled anymore. You do need your appendix. Just because traditional medicine cannot determine the precise role the appendix plays in overall health, there is no reason to remove it unnecessarily.

Unfortunately, for many the decision to remove the appendix is not done electively. Usually it is removed once the appendix is seriously inflamed or infected. At that point your options are quite limited.

Here are some pointers to help you know if your appendix needs to be removed:

Appendectomy

An appendectomy can save your life if you need it, but unnecessary surgery is clearly something that needs to be avoided. How do you know when your appendix might be a problem?

The following are three major clues:

You have absolutely no appetite, even for your most favorite foods.

You have pain that started around your belly button and has moved to your lower right abdominal area.

You have pain when jumping up and down. Try to gently jump up and down. If there is no pain, try jumping even higher. This will move your peritoneal cavity and if it is irritated with an inflamed appendix, you will be in miserable pain.

If you have all of the above symptoms you should be evaluated at the nearest emergency room.

However, women tend to benefit from receiving a CT scan or ultrasound before surgery. The information below will lower a woman’s risk of having her appendix removed by 400 percent, so please remember these things:

Make sure the doctor does some type of imaging study such as a CT scan or Ultrasound prior to going to surgery.

A recent study with nearly 500 patients who underwent appendectomy determined that in women if a CT scan or ultrasound was done before the surgery, a healthy appendix was removed 7 percent of the time compared to 28 percent if a scan was not done. However, this lowered rate did not hold up in men or children.

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