美国和英国每年共有约 80,000 人出现胸膜感染。[1]Davies HE, Davies RJ, Davies CW. Management of pleural infection in adults: British Thoracic Society pleural disease guideline 2010. Thorax. 2010;65(suppl 2):ii41-ii53.http://thorax.bmj.com/content/65/Suppl_2/ii41.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20696693?tool=bestpractice.com社区获得性肺炎每年的发病率为 8~15 ‰。社区获得性肺炎的患者中有 40%~57% 会出现肺炎旁胸腔积液。肺炎旁胸腔积液的患者中有 5%~10% 会发生脓胸。[4]Rahman NM, Davies RJO. Effusions from infections: Parapneumonic effusion and empyema. In: Light RW, Lee YCG, eds. Textbook of Pleural Disease. 2nd ed. London: Hodder & Stoughton; 2008:341-366.有证据显示脓胸在成人和儿童中的发生率都有所升高,其原因不明。[5]Roxburgh CS, Youngson GG. Childhood empyema in North-East Scotland over the past 15 years. Scott Med J. 2007;52:25-27.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18092633?tool=bestpractice.com[6]Desrumaux A, Francois P, Pascal C, et al. Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of childhood parapneumonic empyemas. Arch Pediatr. 2007;14:1298-1303.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17631988?tool=bestpractice.com[7]Munoz-Almagro C, Jordan I, Gene A, et al. Emergence of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by nonvaccine serotypes in the era of 7-valent conjugate vaccine. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:174-182.http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/2/174.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18171247?tool=bestpractice.com[8]Finley C, Clifton J, Fitzgerald JM, et al. Empyema: an increasing concern in Canada. Can Respir J. 2008;15:85-89.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677840/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18354748?tool=bestpractice.com[9]Farjah F, Symons RG, Krishnadasan B, et al. Management of pleural space infections: a population-based analysis. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2007;133:346-351.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17258562?tool=bestpractice.com
脓胸在男性中更为常见,男性与女性比例约为 2:1。它还更易出现于老年人和幼儿当中。[10]Balfour-Lynn IM, Abrahamson E, Cohen G, et al. BTS guidelines for the management of pleural infection in children. Thorax. 2005;60(suppl. 1):1-21.http://thorax.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/60/suppl_1/i1http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15681514?tool=bestpractice.com成人发病年龄高峰在六十或七十岁年龄段。[11]Maskell NA, Davies CW, Nunn AJ, et al. U.K. controlled trial of intrapleural streptokinase for pleural infection. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:865-874.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa042473#t=articlehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15745977?tool=bestpractice.com肺炎旁胸腔积液和脓胸在儿童中的年发生率约为十万分之 3.3,[12]Hardie W, Bokulic R, Garcia VF, et al. Pneumococcal pleural empyemas in children. Clin Infect Dis. 1996;22:1057-1063.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8783710?tool=bestpractice.com且有证据显示此数值正在升高。[13]Rees JH, Spencer DA, Parikh D, et al. Increase in incidence of childhood empyema in West Midlands, UK. Lancet. 1997;349:402.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9033476?tool=bestpractice.com