Epidemiology

The most common cause of acute scrotal pain is epididymitis.[7] North American and European data on the incidence and prevalence of acute epididymitis are limited, as the condition is not subject to national surveillance. In the US, there are approximately 600,000 cases of epididymitis reported each year.[8] One 2005 study in Canada showed that 0.9% of men seen at an outpatient practice over a 2.5-year period presented with epididymitis.[9] In a study in the UK, the reported annual incidence was 2.45 cases per 1000 men between 2003 and 2008.[10] Another study in boys, undertaken in Europe, estimated the annual incidence of epididymitis at 1.2 per 1000 male children.[11]

Epididymitis may present at any age, with the majority of patients aged 20 to 39 years.[12] The majority of cases of epididymitis in children occur around the time of puberty in early adolescence.[13]

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