Danish medical journal
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Danish medical journal · Jul 2015
Multicenter StudyThe incidence and prognosis of patients with bacteremia.
Bacteremia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and ranks among the top seven causes of death in Europe and North America. The occurrence of bacteremia has increased for decades while short-term prognosis has remained unchanged or improved only slightly. Consequently, we are facing an increased number of bacteremia survivors for whom we know little about long-term survival and causes of death. ⋯ However, bacteremia is associated with a very poor short- and long-term prognosis and the risk of death remains increased for years compared with the general population. The most common causes of death after bacteremia are cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Among hospitalized patients, the incidence of bacteremia is highest within days of admission and varies with patient and clinical characteristics.