Prehospital Delay and Its Associated Factors in Sudanese Patients Presenting With Acute Appendicitis at a Teaching Hospital

Background Delayed prehospital presentation of acute appendicitis may increase the risk of perforation and other complications. This study investigated the prevalence of prehospital delay in the presentation of acute appendicitis, clinical features, and outcomes in Sudanese patients. Method A retrospective study conducted from January 2017 to December 2020 in a teaching hospital affiliated with Gezira University enrolled 191 patients with prehospital delay presentation of acute appendicitis (at least 48 hours from symptom onset). Patient characteristics, causative factors, primary treatment, and complication rate were gathered and analyzed. Result The mean age of the patients was 36.55 +/- 16.3 years (range: 15-78 years), with 122 (64%) males and 69 (36%) females. Most cases of prehospital delay were misdiagnosed firstly as other diseases (n = 124, 65%). The physicians made misdiagnosis of acute appendicitis in 65 (53%) patients. Age less than 30 years, male gender, living in rural areas, and lower educational level are associated with a high incidence of prehospital delay presentation of acute appendicitis (p < 0.05). Most cases have appendicular mass (46%, p < 0.001). Wound infection was the most common postoperative complication (7.85%, p < 0.001). Conclusion The high incidence rate of prehospital delay presentation of acute appendicitis is associated with patients' age of less than 30 years, male gender, living in a rural area, and lower educational level. With the high rate of misdiagnosed acute appendicitis, it is essential to increase the knowledge about the signs and symptoms of appendicitis among our physicians and health practitioners.