Serious Inpatient Bacterial Infections and Survival in Patients With CLL
Posted: Thursday, September 3, 2020
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a fivefold risk of serious inpatient bacterial infections compared with a control population, according to the findings of a Swedish population–based study published in the European Journal of Haematology. There also seemed to be a significantly increased risk of early mortality in patients with CLL following a serious infection. However, the risk of serious inpatient bacterial infections appears to have decreased over the 30-year study period.
“Our results underline the importance of thorough and evidence-based guidelines on risk assessment, prophylaxis, and early treatment of infections,” stated Sigurdur Y. Kristinsson, MD, PhD, of the University of Iceland, Reykjavik.
The nationwide study included 13,009 patients diagnosed with CLL from 1982 to 2013 and 49,380 matched controls from high-quality Swedish government–based registries. Patients with CLL had an increased risk of serious inpatient bacterial infections, with a hazard ratio of 5.32. The highest risk was observed for septicemia (hazard ratio = 6.91) and lung infections (hazard ratio = 5.91).
The risk of serious inpatient bacterial infections decreased over time, with a hazard ratio of 0.87 and 0.76 from 1993 to 2002 and 2003 to 2013, compared with 1982 to 1992. Patients with CLL had an increased risk of death following a serious inpatient bacterial infection compared with matched patients with CLL; the risk was highest in the first 12 months after the infection (hazard ratio = 5.48).
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
