Rresearch shows rural children suffer severe appendicitis four times the rate of those in living urban areas, and Māori children double the rate than non-Māori (file image). Photo: 123RF
New research has found Māori and rural children are at a significantly greater risk of developing severe paediatric appendicitis.
Research lead Dr Brodie Elliot told Midday Report about one in 10 children will get appendicitis - severe cases have been linked to poor health literacy and longer delays in getting to a hospital.
"The bad side effects of appendicitis and the mortality is accociated with complicated or perferated appendicitis."
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix and can be life threatening. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite, fever, and pain with movement.
Maori and rural children most at risk from appendicitis
The research shows rural children suffer severe appendicitis four times the rate of those in living urban areas, and Māori children double the rate than non-Māori.
"The risk of perferation occurs before reaching the hospital. We've got an unequal outcome based on soco-economic factors that occur before a prompt hospital response."
Elliot said parents had to assess a child's condition before weighing up the cost of heading to hospital if living rurally.
"As soon as you add in rurality, travel distance, [having] multiple children, and previous bad experiences with the hospital, your threshold as parents is going to be higher to access hospital. And that sneaks in inequities, I believe, occur in paediatric appendicitis."