ArticlePloS one2020
Prevalence and severity of abscesses and cellulitis, and their associations with other health outcomes, in a community-based study of people who inject drugs in London, UK.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of skin infections with sharing of injection drug preparation equipment among people who inject drugs.The International journal on drug policy · 2021Trial
- Improving opioid substitution therapy in the acute hospital setting: implementation of a best practice guideline.BMJ open quality · 2026Article
- Examining nurses' attitudes toward patients who use substances in the hospital setting: A scoping review.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Review
- Economic and epidemiological burden of medical complications of unregulated drug use among people who inject drugs in Québec.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2026Article
- Patterns of Non-fatal Overdose and Injection-Related Bacterial Infections During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Year Among New York State Residents.Maternal and child health journal · 2025Article
- The Effect of Opioid Agonist Treatment on Injection-Related Sequelae: A Population-Based Observational Study.Drug safety · 2025Observational
- Cutaneous Abscess Prevalence and Risk Factors Among People Who Inject Drugs in Denver, Colorado.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Improving hospital care for people who use drugs: deliberative process development of a clinical guideline for opioid withdrawal management.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Water, sanitation and hygiene insecurity predict abscess incidence among people who inject drugs in a binational US-Mexico metropolitan area: A longitudinal cohort study.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Article
- Economic evaluation of the effect of needle and syringe programs on skin, soft tissue, and vascular infections in people who inject drugs: a microsimulation modelling approach.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Staphylococcus aureus carriage and prevalence of skin and soft tissue infections among people who inject drugs: a longitudinal study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Endocarditis, drug use and biological sex: A statewide analysis comparing sex differences in drug use-associated infective endocarditis with other drug-related harms.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Article
- Improving hospital-based opioid substitution therapy (iHOST): protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation.NIHR open research · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- A Pilot Study of Polysubstance Use Sequences across the Lifespan among Assiniboine and Sioux People Who Use Injection Drugs.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A community-based study of abscess self-treatment and barriers to medical care among people who inject drugs in the United States.Health & social care in the community · 2022Article
- Infections in people who inject drugs on the acute medical take.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2022Review
- Barriers to management of opioid withdrawal in hospitals in England: a document analysis of hospital policies on the management of substance dependence.BMC medicine · 2022Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with chronic venous insufficiency, leg ulceration and deep-vein thrombosis among people who inject drugs in London, UK.Drug and alcohol review · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSkin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are a common but preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among people who inject drugs (PWID). They can be severe, and hospitalisations of PWID with SSTI are rising. The most common SSTI presentations are abscesses and cellulitis.
methodsWe used data from Care & Prevent, a cross-sectional community survey of PWID in London. We reported the lifetime prevalence of SSTI, severity of infections, key risk factors, and associated sequelae. Pictorial questions were used to assess SSTI severity.
resultsWe recruited 455 PWID. SSTI lifetime prevalence was high: 64% reported an abscess and/or cellulitis. Over one-third (37%) reported a severe infection, 137 (47%) reported hospitalisation. SSTIrisk factors were: aged 35+ years, injecting once or more times a day, subcutaneous or intra-muscular injections, and making four or more attempts to achieve an injection. Those who reported having other health conditions were at higher odds of having an abscess or cellulitis, with risk tending to increase with number of reported conditions. Half (46%) employed self-care for their worst SSTI, and 43% waited for ten or more days before seeking medical care or not seeking medical care at all.
conclusionsAbscess and cellulitis are very common among PWID in London. We corroborate findings indicating SSTIs are associated with risks, e.g. venous access problems, as well as other co-morbid conditions: septicaemia, endocarditis, DVT, and kidney disease. These co-morbidities may impact SSTIs severity and outcomes. Delayed healthcare seeking potentially exacerbates infection severity, which in turn increases poorer health outcomes and complications.
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