Today's Medicine reports on a Swedish study in which researchers examined 44,000 young Swedes who had the appendix removed due to inflammation before they turned 14 years old. These were compared to people of the same age who did not have these problems, as well as those who had inflamed appendicitis but not operated on (just over 1,500 individuals).

It turned out that adolescents who had been operated for appendicitis compared to the peers in the normal population had a 19 percent higher risk of depression later in life, a 27 percent increased risk of bipolar disorder, and a 20 percent increased risk of anxiety, the magazine writes.

"A reservoir"

Those who had inflamed appendicitis but not operated were at no increased risk of psychiatric diagnoses.

- The small intestine can be a reservoir for intestinal bacteria in disturbed intestinal flora and it probably has important immunological functions such as secretion of antibodies. The operation of the appendicitis could theoretically increase the risk of the current diagnoses due to increased inflammation, says Ulf O Gustafsson, chief physician at Danderyd's hospital and principal responsible for the study, to Dagens Medicin.

Don't give up

He is careful to point out that the study cannot prove any causal relationship, and that the possible effects for the individual are not very great.

- Individuals with appendicitis should not refrain from surgery because of our results, although antibiotics could be an alternative if more similar relationships are shown in the future, says Ulf O Gustafsson.