Who is at risk of invasive group A streptococcal infections?
Invasive GAS infections are most common in the elderly (> 75years of age, approximately 8 cases per 100,000 population) and the very young (The most common risk factor for invasive GAS infection is having a skin lesion (a lesion is an abnormality due to disease or injury) of some kind which provides easier entry of the organism in to the body. A small proportion of invasive GAS infections start with a respiratory tract infection. • Other risk factors include: • Injecting Drug Use • Alcoholism • Immunosuppression • Diabetes • Malignancy (cancer) Whilst recent childbirth is a potential predisposing factor for GAS infection, it contributes only about 4% of the total invasive GAS infections.
