Infection rate and acute organ dysfunction risk as explanations for racial differences in severe sepsis.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Severe sepsis, defined as infection complicated by acute organ dysfunction, occurs more frequently and leads to more deaths in black than in white individuals. The optimal approach to minimize these disparities is unclear.

Objective

To determine the extent to which higher severe sepsis rates in black than in white patients are due to higher infection rates or to a higher risk of acute organ dysfunction.

Design, setting, and participants

Analysis of infection-related hospitalizations from the 2005 hospital discharge data of 7 US states and infection-related emergency department visits from the 2003-2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey.

Main outcome measure

Age- and sex-standardized severe sepsis and infection hospitalization rates and the risk o

SUBMITTER: Mayr FB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3910506 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature