title: Emergency department visit rates for abscess versus other skin infections during the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 1997-2007.
abstract: Due to a flaw in the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification coding system, epidemiology of skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) has conflated abscess with other SSTIs. We analyzed emergency department visits during 1997-2007, finding that the odds of abscess relative to any other diagnosis increased 11% per year, or 3.1-fold, whereas other SSTIs increased minimally.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Munirih L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Qualls
authors.forename: Megan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zucconi
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Hooper
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pallin
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D009626:Terminology as Topic