Cellulitis and erysipelas - How common is it?

Cellulitis and erysipelas are common, but we don't know exactly how many people get them.

Every year about 70,000 people in the UK go to hospital with cellulitis.[1] More people may have had it and been treated at home.
In one accident and emergency department in the UK, 3 in 100 people who came in for treatment had cellulitis.[2]
In a hospital in New Zealand, nearly 2 in 100 people needed treatment for cellulitis.[3]

References

Hospital Episode Statistics. Main operations. March 2007. Available at http://www.hesonline.nhs.uk (accessed on 8 January 2008).
Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team (CREST). Guidelines on the management of cellulitis in adults. June 2005. Available at http://www.crestni.org.uk (accessed on 7 January 2008).
Corwin P, Toop L, McGeoch G, et al. Randomised controlled trial of intravenous antibiotic treatment for cellulitis at home compared with hospital. BMJ. 2005; 330: 129.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.