A new study, looking at data from the 2020 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and the 2017-2020 Emerging Infections Program (EIP), has found that Hispanic patients on hemodialysis had a 40% higher risk of having a Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bloodstream infection than white patients. This is on top of all hemodialysis patients being 100 times more likely to have an S. aureus bloodstream infection than non-dialysis patients.
Data also showed that the S. aureus bloodstream infection rate was strongly associated with vascular access via central venous catheter over graft or fistulas. Higher rates of S. aureus bloodstream infections have also been found to correlate to people living in areas with higher poverty levels, those with household crowding, and those with lower education.
Although it is well established that race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors play a role in health disparities and developing end-stage kidney disease, this deeper dive into data from across the nation has allowed researchers to gain a better understanding of S. aureus infection rates among all dialysis patients in order to help.
For more information on the study, you can read the full story on Helio’s website: https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20230206/study-uncovers-disparity-in-hemodialysisassociated-s-aureus-infections.
