--- title: Appendicitis: Study Suggests Antibiotics As Alternative to Surgery description: 300,000 Americans are affected by acute appendicitis every year canonical: https://time.com/3923235/antibiotics-appendicitis/ author: Katy Osborn article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-16T19:32:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:53.474Z article:section: Health og:title: Antibiotics May Be an Appendectomy Alternative, Study Says og:description: 300,000 Americans experience acute appendicitis every year og:url: https://time.com/3923235/antibiotics-appendicitis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0d78a564f0d0e27/698854be2dce016cd59e4322/appendicitis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: appendectomy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Antibiotics May Be an Appendectomy Alternative, Study Says twitter:description: 300,000 Americans experience acute appendicitis every year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0d78a564f0d0e27/698854be2dce016cd59e4322/appendicitis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Antibiotics May Be Alternative to Appendectomy Surgery, Study Finds > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: How Many Glasses of Water Do You Need a Day? [Watch (HLS stream): How Many Glasses of Water Do You Need a Day?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SuprpRYK.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2015-05-15. Does everyone need eight glasses of water every day? Does drinking lots of water help people lose weight? Our healthy skeptic separates myths from facts._ by [Katy Osborn](https://time.com/author/katy-osborn/) ## Katy Osborn Jun 16, 2015 7:32 PM UTC  Surgeons removing an appendix in Pretoria, South Africa. Surgeons removing an appendix in Pretoria, South Africa. Getty Images by [Katy Osborn](https://time.com/author/katy-osborn/) ## Katy Osborn Jun 16, 2015 7:32 PM UTC With one in 10 Americans affected by acute appendicitis at some point in their lives—a whopping 300,000 a year—appendectomy surgery has become a routine procedure in the U.S. health care system. But according to a new study, antibiotics may be a strong alternative to surgery in uncomplicated cases of acute appendicitis. The study, published Tuesday in the [_Journal of the American Medical Association_](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2320315), consisted of 530 patients with appendicitis ranging in age from 18 to 60 who were split randomly into two groups: 273 of them underwent standard open appendectomy surgery, while the other 257 received antibiotic treatment. While 272 of the 273 appendectomy surgeries were successful, 186 of the patients treated with antibiotics did not require surgery at all. Those in the antibiotic group who did ultimately require surgery during a one-year follow-up period (70 patients) showed no signs of complications associated with delaying the procedure. The study, which was conducted from November 2009 to June 2012 in Finland, raises questions about the routinized use of appendectomy surgery to treat appendicitis—but it is not without its [critics](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/health/antibiotics-resurface-as-alternative-to-removing-appendix.html), who point out that little is known about the causes of appendicitis. ## Transcript You're watching Everwell. Know more, live better. [ MUSIC ] I've heard the more that you drink water, the better your skin looks. And I guess the reason is because it helps flush the toxins out of your body. I always take my water bottle with me when I exercise because its important to get a lot of water. Its one of those health tips we've all heard that drinking lots of water at least eight glasses a day is key to good health helping us avoid dehydration and look and feel better. So do these claims hold water or are they all wet? [ NOISE ] Turns out the eight glasses a day rule has no basis in science. A panel of experts who reviewed the research concluded that most healthy people get enough water through normal consumption of foods and beverages. So what about the notion that extra H2O helps rid the body of toxins? That's the job of our kidneys and there's no evidence that lots of water improves their effectiveness. No dice either on the claim that chugging more water is good for your skin. Though one study found that drinking two cups increased blood flow to the skin, it didn't reduce wrinkles or result in a smoother complexion. Then there's the idea that water can promote weight loss. Loss. The evidence here is mixed. Some studies showing it a fact, and others finding not. One thing, however, is clear, water may very well help you shed pounds, if it replaces soda and other high calorie beverages. Certainly, there's nothing wrong with getting eight glasses a day. And it's a good idea to drink up if you live in a hot climate or engage in strenuous exercise. Otherwise simply eat a healthful diet and let thirst be your guide. Now that's advice we can all drink to. 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