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Background. The most frequent surgical disease in the abdomen, acute appendicitis, is precipitated by the obstruction of the vermiform appendix lumen. A delay to reach a diagnosis increases its morbidity and leads into complications such as: gangrene, perforation, peritonitis and abscess.
Methods. Retrospective transversal descriptive study, with a minimal sample of 136 patients from San Miguel Archangellntegrated Hospital, between July and December 1999 with diagnosis of complicated or not acute appendicitis. The recollected data was tabulated for further calculus and analysis of frequency distribution of complications according to: sex, age, disease evolution time, white blood cells count and socioeconomic status; as well as determination 01 the most frequent complication.
Results. A 32.4% (44) of the 136 patients presented a complicated appendicitis from which 64% were male. The risk of complications was increased in < 14 years old (46.7%) and disease evolution time from 49 -72 hrs (70%), which had an X2=13.79. The most frequent complication was perforated appendicitis, 50%.
Conclusions. Acute appendicitis was frequently seen in male sex and its comp'lications increased in Iife's extremes and disease evolution time over 49 hours, the last one resulting of statistical interest.
