Golz RA, et al. - Researchers conducted a retrospective study of data from Washington’s Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System and the 2010 US census in order to generate population-based incidences of acute appendicitis (AA) and perforated appendicitis (PA). Further, they investigated geographic patterns of incidence alongside geographic patterns of socioeconomic status (SES). Statewide, they identified reports of 35,730 patients with AA over the 5-year study period (including 9,780 cases of PA; Median age of the cohort: 29 years); of these, 16,574 were women (46.4%). (Median age of the cohort: 29 years). Geographical clustering was observed of AA and PA into high-incidence and low-incidence regions. However, geographic autocorrelation was twice as strong for AA vs PA. Significantly increased secondary education and income was reported in areas of low AA incidence vs high-incidence areas. Findings thereby do not support the conventional view that AA occurs randomly and has no predisposing characteristics beyond age/gender. They suggest an association of higher socioeconomic status with lower incidence of both AA and PA.