Antibiotic therapy in the treatment of skin abscess − meta-analysis

Abstract

Skin abscess is one of the most common infections of skin and soft tissues. Incision and drainage under local anesthesia is the mainstay of treatment. Although previous small-scale studies failed to show a benefit of antibiotics in patients with simple abscesses, the use of antibiotic therapy is still encountered in the treatment of uncomplicated skin abscesses in our practice. The purpose of our study was to evaluate existing data assessing the effect of adjuvant antibiotic therapy on abscess management. Although as indicated by two recent multicenter studies, antibiotics may provide a positive effect in the management, it is important to consider the risk of resistance associated with antibiotic overuse and to approach each case individually.