Antibiotics can replace invasive surgery for the treatment of acute appendicitis involving the removal of the organ, as it could be just as effective, a new study has found.
The study also found that patients who are treated with antibiotics are at lower risk of complications than those who undergo surgery.
"Some patients are so ill that the operation is absolutely necessary, but 80% of those who can be treated with antibiotics recover and return to full health," said Jeanette Hansson from the university of Gothenburg, Sweden.
The risk of recurrence within 12 months of treatment with antibiotics is around 10-15%.
Appendicitis is a serious condition involving the appendix (a tube-shaped sac attached to and opening into the lower end of the large intestine), which becomes inflamed and painful, causing abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and fever.
The standard approach to acute appendicitis is to surgically remove the appendix.
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