Clinical characteristics of patients with cellulitis stratified by sex and age: a single-center study conducted in Finland

Background Few previous studies have examined subgroups of patients with cellulitis for differences in patterns of predisposing factors. Objectives This retrospective study was designed to examine the characteristics and predisposing factors of patients treated for cellulitis at the Oulu University Hospital, Finland from 2019 to 2023 in subgroups based on sex and age. Results Of the 907 included patients, 56.8% were male; mean age at diagnosis was 57.5 years, and was higher in females than in males (61.2 and 54.7 years, respectively; p<0.001). History of cellulitis was reported in 35.5%. Cellulitis was most commonly located in the lower leg (40.8% patients) and its frequency at this site increased with age (p<0.001). Systemic symptoms were present at diagnosis in 37.4% patients. Compared with other sites, face cellulitis less frequently associated with CRP level >150mg/l (p<0.001). Analysis of risk factors found that sores and intravenous drug usage were most common in males whereas malignancies were more frequent in females. Intravenous drug use was associated with younger age (<49 years) whereas obesity, diabetes, malignancies and lymphedema were more common in older patients. Conclusion The findings of this study highlight the need for more focus on the risk factors for cellulitis and on preventing the infection.