Abstract

GOMEZ-ALCALA, Alejandro V  and  HURTADO-GUZMAN, Ángel. Early breastfeeding as a risk factor for acute appendicitis in children. Gac. Méd. Méx [online]. 2005, vol.141, n.6, pp.501-504. ISSN 2696-1288.

Objective: To determine if short term exclusive (EBF), combined breastfeeding (CBF), or an early start of other kind of food constitute risk factors for appendicitis in children. Materials and methods: By means of a case control study, the mothers of 200 children up to 16 years with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis and 200 matched controls were interviewed regarding the duration of breastfeeding and the start of other foods. Data were analyzed to calculate chi square c²; odds ratio (OR) was used to calculate risk factors, confidence intervals (CI 95%) were also determined. Results: There was no EBF in 52 cases (26%), or in 5 controls (2.5%) (p< 0.001). EBF lasted for 2.3 ± 1.8 months in cases and 3 ± 1.1 months in controls (p< 0.001). CBF lasted for 8.1 ± 7.5 months in cases and 8.8 ± 3.5 in controls (p< 0.001); ablactation was started at 4.4 ± 1.3 months in cases and at 4.7 ± 1.2 in controls (p< 0.05). The OR of developing appendicitis for non- EBF was 10.4 (CI 95% 4 -26.5), for ablactation before 4 months 1.4, (CI 95% 0.9 - 2) and for CBF for less than 6 months 4.6, (CI 95% 2.3 8.3). Conclusions: The risk of developing appendicitis is higher among children who never received EBF and who were breastfed for less than 6 months.

Keywords : Breastfeeding; appendicitis; human milk; ablactation.