What is it about?
The epidemiology of osteomyelitis in the United States is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine long-term secular trends in the incidence of osteomyelitis in a population-based setting.
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Why is it important?
Our study was the first in the United States to describe the incidence of infections of the bone and joints, otherwise known as osteomyelitis, in a population-based study. The overall age and sex-adjusted annual incidence of osteomyelitis was 21.8 cases per 100,000 person-years. The annual incidence was higher for men than for women and increased with age (p < 0.001). Rates increased over the last four decades (p < 0.001) from 11.4 cases per 100,000 person-years in the period from 1969 to 1979 to 24.4 per 100,000 person-years in the period from 2000 to 2009. The incidence almost tripled among individuals older than sixty years; this was partly driven by a significant increase in diabetes-related osteomyelitis from 2.3 cases per 100,000 person-years in the period from 1969 to 1979 to 7.6 cases per 100,000 person-years in the period from 2000 to 2009 (p < 0.001). Forty-four percent of cases involved Staphylococcus aureus infections.
Perspectives
Our findings show the worrisome and deleterious effects of osteomyelitis in a community based study, without referral bias. Additionally, the stunning associations of diabetes and subsequent risk of amputation and early death were surprising. The public and health experts should pay heed to the risks of uncontrolled insulin resistance and more research should be done to study the role of gender and race in infection outcomes.
Dr Paul M Huddleston
Mayo Foundation
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Trends in the Epidemiology of Osteomyelitis, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, May 2015, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.,
DOI: 10.2106/jbjs.n.01350.
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