Community-Acquired Bacteraemia (CAB) in Senior Adults
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Community-Acquired Bacteraemia (CAB) in Senior Adults: Risk Factors, Outcomes and Correlation with Frailty.
IRAS ID
233497
Contact name
Jane Minton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, days
Research summary
The increasing life expectancy results in a large number of very-elderly-population (≥85 y). Elderly patients constitute a high proportion of in-patient medical admissions, where frailty and co-morbidities commonly predominate (Clegg et al, Lancet 2013). Age-related impaired immunity along with malnutrition often predisposes them to developing infections.
Infections may represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in this subset of population, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Community-acquired bacteraemia is a major cause of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality among these frail patients. Key aspects of treatment are source control of the infection and prompt initiation of proper antibiotics based on the causative organism.
Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome characterized by age-related decline in physiologic reserve and functions in multi-organ systems. It is likely that frailty is associated with increased risk of infections, and worse outcomes. Chronic inflammation linked to ageing is a key pathophysiologic mechanism contributing to frailty syndrome via a gradual cascade of interactions between different systems, such as musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, and haematological systems. Therefore, an acute bacteraemi may further accelerate the above degenerating process.
Poor nutritional status is associated with high rates of infections among elderly patients and early recognition is important to stratify them according to risk for developing infections.
Little is known on the characteristics of community-acquired bacteraemia amongst very-elderly patients. The description of characteristics of community-acquired bacteraemia in this specific population is not well-studied.
We will study the incidence of community-acquired bacteraemia in the very elderly population and investigate whether frailty is more associated with mortality than biological age. Additionally, our data will allow the development and validation of predictors of morbidity and mortality for the very elderly patients admitted to the hospital due to bacteraemia (e.g., frailty, Pitt bacteraemia score, length of stay, change in functional status).REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0327
Date of REC Opinion
12 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion