Table 2 Characteristics of the studies and patients included in the meta-analysis

Mladenov (3)

2022

Germany

Retrospective study

181

83

98

48 (57.8)

69 (70.4)

58.8^a

64.3^a

Lower extremity/perianal/genital/gluteal

Female, age, problem

localization, comorbidities, LRINEC

[1] [2] [3] [4a, 4c]

Tutino (19)

2022

Italy

Retrospective study

23

13

10

16(69.6)

62.7^a

Gluteal/inguinal/perineal/scrotal

Age, sex, BMI, comorbidities, ASA score, delay from symptoms

to admission

[1]

Omar (20)

2021

Brazil

Retrospective comparative study

197

79

118

53 (67.0)

103 (87.2)

48.2^a

46.6^a

Perineal/scrotal/penile/perianal/gluteal/inguinal/abdominal

Age, sex, comorbidities

[1]

Creta (21)

2020

Italy

Retrospective observational case–control study

161

72

89

65 (90.3)

87 (97.8)

66.5 ± 15.2^a

Genital

Age, gender, FGSI Score

[1]

Anheuser (7)

2018

Germany

Retrospective observational study

62

17

45

17 (100)

45 (100)

58^a

60^a

Scrotal/perineal/penile/rectal/inguinal/urethral/renal

Sex, age, comorbidities, clinical symptoms, laboratory and microbiological data

[1] [2] [4a, 4b]

Thrane (22)

2017

Denmark

Retrospective cohort study

43

30

13

15(50.0)

10(76.9)

55^b

52^b

Head and neck

Age, primary infectious focus, gender, presence of comorbidity

[1] [4b]

Devaney (23)

2015

US

Retrospective case-controlled study

341

275

66

158

(57.5)

50(75.7)

52.2^a

55.7^a

Head and neck/perineal/abdominal/truncal

Age, obesity, smoking, diabetes, comorbidities, Illness severity (LRINEC, APACHE III), organism

[1] [2] [3]

Hung (24)

2015

Taiwan

Retrospective study

60

12

48

50(83.3)

59.6 ± 14.5^a

Dermatological/anorectal/urogenital

Age, severity, location

[1]

Li (25)

2015

China

Retrospective study

28

16

12

28(100)

46.13 ± 13.11^a

48.42 ± 15.31^a

Scrotal/perineal/perianal

Age, FGSI score, predisposing factors

[1] [2]

Shaw (26)

2014

USA

Retrospective cohort study

1583

117

1466

83(70.9)

1433(97.7)

56^b

54^b

△

Severity of illness, age, sex, race, comorbidities

[1]

Chai (27)

2012

Singapore

Retrospective study

45,913

405

45,508

243 (60.0)

29,612 (65.1)

54.6^a

53.7^a

Truncal/lower extremity

Age, gender, the

patient’s county of residence, hospital characteristics (bed size, location and teaching status), the Deyo clinical co-morbidity index

[1] [3] [4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f]

Massey (28)

2012

USA

Retrospective cohort study

80

32

48

19 (59.4)

24 (50.0)

55^a

54^a

△

Age, race, sex, affected site, BMI, comorbidity

[1] [3]

Hassan (29)

2010

USA

Retrospective chart review

67

29

38

18 (62.1)

20 (52.6)

49.6 ± 15.6^a

50.7 ± 13.2^a

△

Sex, race, etiology, smoker, alcohol user, complicated admission, comorbidity, diabetes mellitus

[1] [2] [3]

Mehl (30)

2010

Brazil

Retrospective study

40

26

14

31(77.5)

47.2^a

Perineal/scrotal/thigh/inguinal/perianal/lumbosacral/penile/buttock/abdominal/lower extremity

Gender, age, location,

predisposing factors, etiology, lesion location, laboratory tests and imaging, surgical procedures, antibiotics

[1]

George (31)

2009

Canada

Retrospective medical record review

78

48

30

49(62.8)

49.5 ± 19.6^a

△

Age, immunosuppression, hypotension, truncal involvement, clostridium infection

[1] [2]

Krenk (32)

2007

Denmark

Retrospective study

19

11

8

3(27.2)

2(25.0)

59.5^a

54.4^a

Head and neck

Age, sex, etiological focus, bacteriology, comorbidity

[1]

Steven (33)

2005

USA

Retrospectively reviewed

42

26

16

24(92.3)

14(87.5)

57 ± 14^a

57 ± 15^a

Genital/scrotal

Age, race, comorbidity, BMI

[1] [4a, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f]

Wilkinson (34)

2004

Australia

Retrospective cohort study

44

33

11

△

△

△

Age, race, comorbidity, site, etiology, symptom to hospital admission,

[1] [3]

Dahm (35)

2000

USA

Retrospective study

44

38

6

44(100)

56.3^a

Anorectal/genital

Age, history of diabetes or chronic alcoholism, white blood cell count on admission, results of blood cultures, source of infection, extent and depth of the infection

[1]

Hollabaugh (36)

1998

USA

Retrospective study

26

14

12

26(100)

57^b

Penile/perineal/periurethral

No report

[1]

Shupak (37)

1995

Israel

Retrospective study

37

25

12

14(56.0)

9(75.0)

52.9 ± 15^a

57.4 ± 16^a

△

Age, sex

[1] [2]

Brown (38)

1994

Canada

Retrospective study

54

30

24

22(73.3)

13(54.2)

51.3 ± 17.1^a

61.6 ± 12.6^a

Truncal

Age, sex, APACHE II score

[1] [2]

Riseman (39)

1990

USA

Retrospective study

29

17

12

11(64.7)

7(58.3)

68.5^a

59.7^a

Perineal/truncal

Age, sex, race, wound bacteriology, presence or absence of diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, obesity, antecedent trauma

[1]