Empyema epidemiology and demographics

Empyema Microchapters
Patient Information
Overview
Classification Subdural empyema Pleural empyema
Differential Diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Epidemiology and demographics

Incidence and prevalence

The incidence and prevalence of empyema has been increasing over the past 15 years. More than 40% of patients have preexisting comorbidities.

There have been a 26% increase in age and sex-standardized incidence rate from 8.7 per 100,000 person-years in 1997 to 11.8 per 100,000 person-years in 2011. This increment is most notably among older people aged ≥ 80 years (87.3% [from 20.4 per 100,000 in 1997 to 38.2 per 100,000 in 2011]) compared with people aged 40 to 64 years (27.8% [from 10.7 per 100,000 in 1997 to 12.6 per 100,000 in 2011])

Age

Empyema is increases with increasing age. Elderly patients >64 years are most commonly affected.

Gender

Men are more commonly affected with empyema than women. The male to female ratio is approximately 1.7- to 3.1-fold higher in men than in women.

Developed and developing countries

The rate of patients with empyema requiring hospitalization appear to be increasing in western populations, however updated population-based data are sparse. The few existing population-based studies of Available data on adult empyema have reported increases between 30% and 97% over the past decades in the United States and Canada. Most of these studies were conducted in large referral centers only.

The median length of hospital stay however is decreasing from 22 days 17 days.