Sex differences in hospitalized adult patients with cellulitis: A prospective, multicenter study.
Int J Infect Dis 2021;
104:584-591. [PMID:
33508477 DOI:
10.1016/j.ijid.2021.01.044]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Sex differences in adult cellulitis, a frequent cause of hospitalization, have not been analyzed. These differences were investigated in a large cellulitis series.
METHODS
This was a prospective observational study of 606 Spanish hospitalized cellulitis patients. Different comorbidities, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment data were compared between the sexes. Multiple logistic regression modeling was performed to determine the variables independently associated with sex.
RESULTS
Overall 606 adult cellulitis patients were enrolled; 314 (51.8%) were male and 292 (48.2%) were female. Females were older (mean age 68.8 vs 58.9 years, p < 0.0001), less likely to have prior wounds (p = 0.02), and more likely to have venous insufficiency (p = 0.0002) and edema/lymphedema (p = 0.0003) than males. The location of the infection differed between the sexes (p = 0.02). Males were more likely to have positive pus cultures (p = 0.0008), the causing agent identified (p = 0.04), and higher rates of Staphylococcus aureus infection (p = 0.04) and received longer antibiotic treatment (p = 0.03). Factors independently associated with female sex in the multivariate analysis were older age (p < 0.0001), prior cellulitis (p = 0.01), presence of edema/lymphedema as the predisposing factor (p = 0.004), negative versus positive pus culture (p = 0.0002), and location of cellulitis other than in the lower extremities (p = 0.035).
CONCLUSIONS
Differences between male and female patients with cellulitis were age, recurrence, presence of edema/lymphedema, positivity of pus culture, and topography of the infection.
Collapse