[Abdominal manipulation and other cultural risk factors associated with complication of acute appendicitis in pediatric patients]. / Manipulación abdominal y otros factores de riesgo culturales asociados a complicación de apendicitis aguda en pacientes pediátricos.

In children, acute appendicitis (AA) is usually mistaken for empacho, which, according to popular belief, is caused by the ingestion of undercooked or cold food causing gastrointestinal symptoms. The empirical treatment is abdominal manipulation, consisting of massages with different maneuvers on the abdominal wall, accompanied by home remedies. The effect of these therapies in the presence of AA is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between abdominal manipulation and complicated AA in pediatric patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Case-control study in a pediatric population under 18 years of age, with acute abdomen symptoms, who underwent surgery for AA, in a tertiary health institution in Honduras. Cases were defined as patients with complicated AA and controls as those with simple AA. A binary logistic regression model was used to determine the risk factors associated with complications of AA. RESULTS: Sixty-two pediatric patients were analyzed (31 cases and 31 controls) with a median age of 11 years. 58.1% were from an urban area. 77.4% of the cases and 9.7% of controls had a history of abdominal manipulation. The most frequent initial symptom was abdominal pain. In the univariate analysis, male sex, prolonged evolution time, use of home remedies, leukocytosis > 20,000/mm3, and abdominal manipulation were risk factors for complicated AA. In the multivariate model, abdominal manipulation was the main risk factor (OR 15.94 [3.4074.59]). CONCLUSION: Cultural beliefs such as empacho and its respective treatments such as abdominal manipulation and use of home remedies are risk factors for the complication of an established AA case, as well as contributing to the delay in diagnosis.

Complicated acute appendicitis in pediatric patients with "empacho" and abdominal manipulation history: Case series. / Apendicitis aguda complicada en pacientes pediátricos con antecedentes de "empacho" y manipulación abdominal: Serie de casos.

INTRODUCTION: According to Latin American popular culture, empacho is a gastrointestinal disease caused by ex cessive intake of cold or under-cooked food. Abdominal manipulation or sobada is one of the popular treatments used for empacho and consists of an abdominal massage, where the skin is rubbed and stretched, applying pressure on the abdomen. OBJECTIVES: To characterize clinical evolution and complications secondary to diagnostic delay in pediatric patients with acute appendicitis, with history of empacho and abdominal manipulation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Descriptive, observational, How to cite this article: Andes pediatr. 2021;92(1):86-92. DOI: 10.32641/andespediatr.v92i1.3352 prospective study of pediatric patients with complicated acute appendicitis and history of abdominal manipulation, identified in the pediatric surgery room between November 2019 and June 2020 at the Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. RESULTS: 10 patients were studied, aged ranging from 6 to 16 years (median age 14 years). Half of them were from rural areas. The main symptoms that appeared before abdominal manipulation were vomiting, nausea, and loss of appetite, followed by sudden diarrhea or constipation, and increased pain intensity. Complications were gastrointestinal perforation (5/10), appendicular mass (3/10), intra-abdominal abscess (3/10), and gangrenous appendicitis (1/10). The median time between initial symptom and hospitalization was 60 hours [IQR, 33.0 - 72.0]. CONCLUSION: This study describes the influence of the empacho and its respective treatment on clinical deterioration due to the delay in diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis, resulting in different complications.