Appendicitis racial disparities mostly unexplained

Poverty and unfavorable health insurance account for only a small portion of the gap in the number of white versus Hispanic or black children who end up with a burst appendix, according to a new study. Some previous research has explained the fact that black and Hispanic children are more likely to have their appendix rupture by pointing to signs of poor health care access, including being uninsured, having public assistance insurance or having a low socioeconomic status. But the latest report finds that the main reasons for these disparities "are anybody's guess," said the study's lead author.