Incidence, Risk Factors, and Subsequent Health Outcomes of Pyogenic Liver Abscesses: A Scoping Review of Evidence From Population-Based Studies.

Background: Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a critical infectious disease with varying incidence across global regions. There is a growing body of large-scale, population-based studies that offer a comprehensive understanding of the disease. Objective: To allow clinicians to gain a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of PLA, this review of the published literature was conducted to summarize the incidence of PLA and identify comprehensive risk factors and subsequent health outcomes. Methods: To obtain more reliable and convincing data, we searched through the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), using the following search terms: pyogenic liver abscess and population-based study. The initial search was executed on 26 December 2022 and subsequently updated on 30 May 2025. Results: The search identified 43 eligible studies for the final analyses. Among the 43 studies, 11 included the incidence of PLA, 21 included information on the risk factors, and 11 included the prognosis of PLA. According to the distribution of study locations, most of the studies were from Taiwan, China, which had the highest incidence in the world, reaching 17.59 per 100,000. The results highlight that the risk factors for PLA encompass liver cirrhosis, hepatobiliary malignancy, liver transplantation, biliary disease, and diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, we observed that PLA increased the risk of subsequent health complications, including gastrointestinal tumors and infection. Conclusion: The increasing prevalence and multifaceted implications of PLA underscore the imperative for medical professionals to remain updated on its epidemiology, risk factors, and subsequent health outcomes. Such awareness is pivotal for effective community prevention, clinical intervention, and long-term patient management.