Having your appendix removed as a child leads to back problems later in life
- Childhood appendicitis can expose the body to a severe bacterial infection
- Many joint conditions caused by immune system over-reacting to a bug
- Experts think it primes the body’s immune system for future attacks
Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail
13
View
comments
Suffering from childhood appendicitis may protect people from suffering crippling back problems in later life.
Many joint and back conditions – including most forms of arthritis – are caused by the immune system over-reacting to a bug or virus and attacking the joints.
Experts think appendicitis – which exposes the body to a severe bacterial infection – effectively primes the body’s immune system early in life, meaning it does not over-react years later.
Approximately 7 percent of the population will have appendicitis in their lifetime, with most cases occurring between the ages of 10 and 30.
Experts believe appendicitis – which exposes the body to a severe bacterial infection – effectively primes the body’s immune system early in life, meaning it doesn’t over-react years later
Around 40,000 people are admitted to hospital with appendicitis each year in England – most of them children and teenagers.
Scientists revealed the results of a major study linking childhood appendicitis to lower rates of a severe back condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis.
This incurable condition, a form of arthritis which causes severe inflammation in the joints of the spine, is thought to affect 63,500 people in Britain.
It causes stiffness and pain and eventually distorts the spine, giving people a distinctive stoop.
-
Revealed, the top 10 nutrients YOU may be lacking – and how…
How FAT became our friend: Expert reveals why it’s time to…
Women MUST delay pregnancy in Zika-ravaged countries: WHO…
From 5 stone to bodybuilding champion: Anorexic who weighed…
The new study, presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress in London, revealed that people who had suffered with appendicitis before the age of 17 were 40 per cent less likely to develop the condition.
The Swedish researchers, from the University of Gothenburg, also found that people who had experienced lung infections during childhood were 20 per cent more likely to suffer from the back condition, suggesting that some bacteria increases the risk of Ankylosing Spondylitis, while others reduce it.
Lead author Ulf Lindström, who used medical records from nearly 14,000 people, said: ‘The causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis remain poorly characterised, so this is a significant development in helping us better understand this debilitating disease.
‘One potential explanation is that inflammatory responses elicited during the course of childhood appendicitis somehow induce long-lasting immunological changes in the colonic mucosa, which in turn protect these individuals from developing Ankylosing Spondylitis.’
Approximately 7 percent of the population will have appendicitis in their lifetime, with most cases occurring between the ages of 10 and 30
British experts last night welcomed the findings. Professor Iain McInnes, an expert in arthritis at Glasgow University, said: ‘This is fascinating. It is the first time that anyone has been able to show a link between appendicitis and Ankylosing Spondylitis.
‘What we are starting to learn is that people who go on to have chronic inflammation have changes in the bacteria in their intestine.
‘The gut is the place where the body talks to the immune system. People who are exposed to infections when they have appendicitis seem to have a more educated immune system.’
He added: ‘There are no cures available for this condition – they are looking at a lifetime of discomfort, so anything that we can learn about it might lead to something which can reduce the pain, the stiffness and the deformity they experience.’
Share or comment on this article
-
Man rescues benguela dolphin stranded on beach
-
Petrifying moment tiger pounces at woman on other side of…
-
Boxer swiftly knocks out two guys for picking on his…
-
Female bus passenger rolls head and speaks in satanic voice
-
News reporter attacked during live broadcast in Philadelphia
-
High school valedictorian reveals she’s undocumented…
-
Classroom argument between boy and girl takes a violent turn
-
Hillary and Bill Clinton enjoying a dance in 1992
-
Moment husky gently blows bubbles in her water bowl
-
Emily Austen being racially insensitive and anti-Semitic
-
Moment Turkish President is pushed back at Ali funeral
-
Woman traumatized after deer takes over garden and attacks…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Clinton’s lover – before and AFTER his…
-
White House calls FBI probe into Clinton’s classified emails…
-
Stanford rapist ‘took photograph of his victim’s breasts…
-
‘Through turmoil and change, war and hardship’: Queen’s…
-
Get a roo-m! Kangaroo and a pig ‘who have been in a…
-
Tears, laughter and standing ovations galore: Family and…
-
Florida girl, 15, kills herself after naked video taken…
-
Pictured: Yellowstone visitor, 23, who died after wandering…
-
Texas high school valedictorian bound for Yale on a full…
-
Muhammad Ali’s widow and two ex-wives pay their respects to…
-
Furious President of Turkey abandons Muhammad Ali funeral…
-
‘A loud, nasty thin-skinned fraud’: Elizabeth Warren…
Comments (13)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now