Prevalence and Epidemiological Factors Involved in Cellulitis in Korean Patients With Lymphedema

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the prevalence and associated factors involved in cellulitis with lymphangitis among a group of Korean patients who were being treated for lymphedema. We present our epidemiologic research and we also report a systematic review of these types of cases.MethodsThis was a retrospective medical record study among 1,246 patients diagnosed with lymphedema. The study was carried out between January 2006 and December 2012 at the Kosin University Gospel Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Cases were examined for onset time, affected site, seasonal trend, and recurrence pattern of lymphedema, lymphangitis, and cellulitis. We also evaluated the history of blood-cell culture and antibiotic use.ResultsNinety-nine lymphedema patients experienced complications such as cellulitis with accompanying lymphangitis. Forty-nine patients had more than two recurrences of cellulitis with lymphangitis. The incidence and recurrence of cellulitis with lymphangitis were significantly higher in the patients with lower-extremity lymphedema. There was a significant trend toward higher cellulitis prevalence in the lower-extremity lymphedema group according to the time of lymphedema onset. Among the cellulitis with lymphangitis cases, 62 cases were diagnosed through blood-cell culture; 8 of these 62 cultures were positive for β-hemolytic streptococci.ConclusionThe prevalence rate of cellulitis with lymphangitis in patients with lymphedema was 7.95%, and the prevalence of recurrent episodes was 3.93%. Especially, there was high risk of cellulitis with lymphangitis after occurrence of lower-extremity lymphedema with passage of time. Lymphedema patients should be fully briefed about the associated risks of cellulitis before treatment, and physicians should be prepared to provide appropriate preventive education.

Cellulitis: A Study of Drug Use Evaluation in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

“…With respect to age and sex, 53.7% of males (n=55) and 53.3% of females (n=12) in 41-60 years age-group were predominantly diagnosed with cellulitis followed by patients who were in the age group of 61 -80 years (23.6% male and 8.3% female). Our observations were found to be similar to another study on cellulitis conducted in South Korea by Park SI et al 9 and by Kremer M et al 10 Table no 1 and 2 shows the gender wise distribution and age distribution of the study population respectively.…”

Cellulitis in adult patients: A large, multicenter, observational, prospective study of 606 episodes and analysis of the factors related to the response to treatment

“…Venous insufficiency leading to lower limbs edema, chronic lymphedema and chronic obstructive venous disease are well-known vascular factors favoring cellulitis [ 3 , 5 , 14 , 16 ]. The presence of edema/lymphedema and venous insufficiency were significantly associated with poor responses to cellulitis therapy in our study.…”

Synergistic Effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and Manual Lymphatic Drainage in Patients with Mastectomy-Related Lymphedema

“…Although lymphedema is not a life-threatening disorder, this chronic condition can cause not only physical discomfort, but also functional impairment, ultimately leading to anxiety and depression (Ridner, 2009 ; Ha and Choi, 2014 ). Moreover, accumulating evidences proved that lymphedema is tightly coupled with the development of severe pathological complications such as lymphangitis and cellulitis (Pereira de Godoy et al, 2009 ; Park et al, 2016 ). Thus, an effective strategy for lymphedema is warranted.…”