Pediatric abscess incidence may be higher postpandemic

Head and neck abscess incidence was more than 3-fold higher following the pandemic, while patient characteristics and treatment patterns remained largely similar.

By
Andrea Surnit
September 11, 2026
4 min

MDSpire News

At a Glance

Category	Detail
Condition	Pediatric head and neck abscesses
Key Mechanisms	Increased incidence observed postpandemic without significant changes in demographics or treatment characteristics.
Target Population	Patients aged 18 years or younger with head and neck abscesses
Care Setting	Pediatric emergency departments

Key Highlights

Postpandemic incidence of head and neck abscesses was 3.28-fold higher than prepandemic.
Incidence increased across various abscess types including cervical lymphadenitis and peritonsillar abscess.
No new dominant pathogens identified; common organisms included Streptococcus species and Staphylococcus aureus.
Clinical management remained largely similar across all periods studied.
Inpatient mortality was 0% across all study periods.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

Clinically or radiographically confirm head and neck abscesses.

Management

Prompt recognition and management of pediatric infections.

Monitoring & Follow-up

Ongoing surveillance of pediatric head and neck abscess incidence.

Risks

Potential for increased incidence in postpandemic settings.

Patient & Prescribing Data

194 patients aged 18 years or younger with confirmed head and neck abscesses.

No significant differences in time to antibiotic therapy or surgical intervention across periods.

Clinical Best Practices

Maintain awareness of increased incidence of pediatric head and neck abscesses postpandemic.
Consider similar management protocols across different periods.