Association of Total Leucocyte Count and Acute Appendicitis Among Young Patients Undergoing Emergency Appendectomy

Objective: To study the association of total leucocyte count and acute appendicitis among young patients undergoing emergency appendectomy. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Quetta Pakistan, from Mar to Oct 2021. Methodology: The study included one hundred patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis by a consultant surgeon undergoing an emergency appendectomy. The total leucocyte count was calculated for all the patients at the time of diagnosis. The treating surgeon confirmed acute appendicitis findings based on gross examination of the appendix at the time of surgery. The presence of acute appendicitis and other factors was associated with raised total leucocyte count in all the patients. Results: Out of 100 patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis, 59 were male, while 41 were female. The mean age of the study participants was 28.33±3.673 years. On gross examination, 79 had a confirmed diagnosis of acute appendicitis, while 21 did not have an inflamed appendix. 85 had raised total leucocyte count, while 15 patients had total leucocyte count in the normal range. Statistical analysis revealed that acute appendicitis on gross examination and raised C-reactive protein had a statistically significant correlation with raised total leucocyte count (p-value: 0.001). Conclusion: Total leucocyte count was significantly raised in patients who had confirmation of inflammation of the appendix at gross examination during the surgery. Raised total leucocyte count and C reactive protein should be given more weightage in diagnosing acute appendicitis and planning for an emergency appendectomy.