Psychosomatic Medicine 26:671-681 (1964)
© 1964 American Psychosomatic Society

Investigation of a Psychosocial Hypothesis in Appendectomies

¹ Psychiatric Liaison Service, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md.

For a population of 389 patients operated for the primary diagnosis of appendicitis, the prediction was made that female patients between the ages of 10 and 29 years would have more normal appendices removed than would male patients of the same age. It was also predicted that the young female patient who had a normal appendix removed would have more illness in the 10 years following appendectomy than one who had a pathological appendix removed. This prediction was based on the assumption that the "normal-appendix" population would contain more young women who would continue to translate emotional distress into physical symptoms.

Data from histories and follow-up studies verified both hypotheses. Correlations that might elaborate on the significance of these findings have been analyzed.