Identifying common risk factors for primary cellulitis in a large-scale retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Lower-leg cellulitis imposes a substantial global and individual burden. Identifying risk factors for primary cellulitis is essential to inform prevention. Prior studies are limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE: To identify and quantify risk factors associated with lower-leg cellulitis. METHODS: We conducted a large retrospective cohort study using electronic health records from the U.S.-based TriNetX network. Predefined covariates were assessed via Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier analyses. RESULTS: The highest risk for cellulitis were imposed by leg ulcers (HR: 2.669, 95% CI: 2.607-2.733, P < 0.0001) and lymphedema (HR: 1.631, 95% CI: 1.584-1.680, P < 0.0001). Heart failure, venous insufficiency and varicosis, nicotine use, alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, White ethnicity, onychomycosis, tinea pedis, obesity, corticosteroid medication, low socioeconomic status, atopic dermatitis and male sex were all significantly associated with an increased risk for cellulitis. Age was associated with slightly increased risk, whereas immunosuppressants and neoplasms were not associated with changes in cellulitis risk. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include potential confounding, misclassification bias, limited generalizability, and U.S.-specific data. CONCLUSION: This study identified various risk factors for primary cellulitis, e.g. leg ulcer or lymphedema. These results aid in guiding targeted prevention strategies to mitigate the identified risks.