A Nationwide Population-Based Study on the Incidence of Parapharyngeal and Retropharyngeal Abscess-A 10-Year Study.

Tzong-Hann Yang,Chuan-Song Wu,Sudha Xirasagar,Yen-Fu Cheng,Yi-Wei Kao,Herng-Ching Lin

doi:10.3390/ijerph18031049

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the annual incidence of parapharyngeal and retropharyngeal abscess (PRPA) based on 10-year population-based data. Patients with PRPA were identified from the Taiwan Health Insurance Research Database, a database of all medical claims of a randomly selected, population-representative sample of over two million enrollees of the National Health Insurance system that covers over 99% of Taiwan’s citizens. During 2007–2016, 5779 patients received a diagnosis of PRPA. We calculated the population-wide incidence rates of PRPA by sex and age group (20–44, 45–64, and >64) as well as in-hospital mortality. The annual incidence rate of PRPA was 2.64 per 100,000 people. The gender-specific incidence rates per 100,000 people were 3.34 for males and 1.94 for females with a male:female gender ratio of 1.72. A slight increase in incidence rates among both genders over the study period was noted. Age-specific rates were lowest in the 20–44 age group with a mean annual incidence of 2.00 per 100,000 people, and the highest rates were noted in the age groups of 45–64 and >64 years with mean annual incidences of 3.21 and 3.20, respectively. We found that PRPA is common in Taiwan, males and older individuals are more susceptible to it, and incidence has increased in recent years.

Highlights

The NHIRD provides an excellent opportunity for Taiwan researchers to perform large-scale clinical epidemiology investigations on diseases
We identified a total of 5779 PRPA patients and categorized them into three 3 age groups: 20–44, 45–64, and >64
Reliable population-based incidence data on PRPA including long-term trends and age and gender distributions have not been published because most available data are from hospital-based case series and not representative

Summary

Introduction

Parapharyngeal and retropharyngeal abscesses (PRPAs) arise at one of two adjacent anatomical spaces in the neck, often collectively termed as deep neck space abscesses [1]. These infections often develop as sequelae of upper respiratory infections and are potentially life-threatening because of the possibility of the bacterial invasion of the carotid sheath and critical structures within it (e.g., common carotid artery, internal jugular vein, and vagus nerve), potential for airway obstruction, and systemic sepsis [2]. The infection may spread to other contiguous spaces, especially to the “danger” zones, possibly leading.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion