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Published on: February 9, 2011

Trends in US hospital admissions for skin and soft tissue infections

John Edelsberg1, Charu Taneja, Marcus Zervos

  • 1Policy Analysis Inc., Brookline, Massachusetts 02445, USA.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|October 1, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Hospital admissions for skin infections rose 29% from 2000-2004. Pneumonia admissions remained stable, aligning with rising community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) represent a significant public health concern.
  • Increases in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections have been reported.
  • Understanding trends in hospital admissions for infections is crucial for resource allocation and public health planning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in US hospital admissions for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) between 2000 and 2004.
  • To compare these trends with hospital admissions for pneumonia during the same period.
  • To assess the potential correlation between SSTI admission trends and the rise of CA-MRSA.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2000-2004.
  • Analyzed total hospital admissions for skin and soft tissue infections and pneumonia.
  • Calculated percentage changes in admission rates over the study period.

Main Results:

  • Total hospital admissions for skin and soft tissue infections increased by 29% from 2000 to 2004.
  • Hospital admissions for pneumonia showed no significant change during the study period.
  • The observed increase in SSTI admissions is consistent with reported increases in CA-MRSA.

Conclusions:

  • Hospitalizations for skin and soft tissue infections significantly increased in the early 2000s.
  • The findings suggest a potential link between the rise in SSTIs and the increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  • Further research is warranted to investigate the specific drivers and implications of these trends.

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