Acute abdomen in the surgical emergency room. Who is taken care of when for what?

During 1977, 5279 male and 4616 female visits (9895 in all) for acute abdominal conditions were made to the emergency room at the Department of Surgery in Malmö, Sweden. Twice as many patients were seen on Mondays and Tuesdays as on Saturdays. More than 50% of the visits were classified as non-specific abdominal pain or gastritis. The highest incidence of these two conditions was found in the 20-29-year age group and 2-3 times as many patients in this age group were seen on Mondays as on Saturdays and Sundays. It is concluded that studies on the age- and sex-specific incidence rates of different abdominal disorders should be of great value for proper planning of diagnostic and therapeutic resources and further of importance for the planning of the education and training of the general surgeon. Differences in the age- and sex-specific incidence rates as well as differences in the incidence rates from one time period to another illustrate the value of retrospective studies as a basis for future prospective studies regarding cause and potential for prevention of acute abdominal diseases.