Table 3. Potential predisposing factors for severe Streptococcus pyogenes infection, United Kingdom, 2003–2004.
| Factor | All case-patients, no (%)* | Children <16 y of age, no. (%) | Adults 16–60 y of age, no. (%) | Adults >60 y of age, no. (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin lesion/wound | 719 (31) | 63 (22) | 298 (26) | 358 (40) |
| Trauma | 188 (8) | 13 (5) | 99 (9) | 76 (9) |
| Chronic wound | 161 (7) | 0 | 39 (3) | 122 (14) |
| Surgery | 118 (5) | 10 (4) | 48 (4) | 60 (7) |
| Injection drug use | 459 (20) | 0 | 459 (40) | 0 |
| Healthcare-associated infection | 204 (9) | 15 (5) | 79 (7) | 109 (12) |
| Malignancy | 161 (7) | 11 (4) | 49 (4) | 100 (11) |
| Diabetes | 158 (7) | 3 (1) | 40 (4) | 115 (13) |
| Alcoholism | 88 (4) | 0 | 67 (6) | 21 (2) |
| Recent childbirth | 86 (4) | 0 | 86 (8) | 0 |
| Steroid use | 77 (3) | 3 (1) | 35 (3) | 39 (4) |
| Contact with person with S. pyogenes infection† | 57 (4) | 7 (4) | 34 (5) | 16 (2) |
| Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use | 49 (2) | 3 (1) | 18 (2) | 28 (3) |
| Varicella | 47 (2) | 41 (14) | 4 (<1) | 2 (<1) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 45 (2) | 3 (1) | 9 (1) | 33 (4) |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 39 (2) | 9 (3) | 24 (2) | 6 (1) |
| Renal impairment | 31 (1) | 2 (1) | 19 (2) | 10 (1) |
| Other reported risk factor‡ | 112 (5) | 30 (11) | 41(4) | 41 (5) |
| No risk factors reported |
566 (25) |
132 (46) |
173 (15) |
260 (29) |
| Total | 2,305 (100) | 284 (100) | 1,135 (100) | 884 (100) |
*Includes patients without age information. †Information available for 1,586 patients. ‡Noted for <30 patients.