Estimating the burden of complications of gastrointestinal infections
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Retrospective cohort study to estimate the burden of complications from common gastrointestinal infections and remediable factors that contribute to this burden.
IRAS ID
177765
Contact name
Oluwaseun Esan
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
HPRU-2012-10038, NIHR Health Protection Research Unit
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
Gastrointestinal (GI) infections are common. As well as exposure to the infection other factors affect whether a person becomes ill and the severity of the illness that results. For example, drugs affecting the acidity of the stomach are thought to be important in the risk of infection, and perhaps the severity of illness resulting. Understanding these factors can guide interventions that complement controlling exposure to infections.
The aim of our study is to estimate the burden of gastrointestinal disease and risk factors associated with severity/complications amongst individuals diagnosed with Campylobacter, non-typhoidal salmonellas (NTS) or verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) who may or may not have received treatment for their illness.
To achieve this, we will select all those with a confirmed laboratory report of Campylobacter, NTS and VTEC from 2009-2014 from Public Health England’s (PHE) laboratory reports. This will create our cohort for the study. The cohort will then be linked to primary care data using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD); linked to secondary care data using the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data and linked to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) mortality file on deaths registration and linked to the English Index of Mulitple Deprivation (IMD). These linkages will allow us to quantify the common complications seen in primary care, the severe and rare complications seen in secondary care (hospitals) and registered deaths, as well as quantify the volume, type and healthcare costs associated with such complications. It will also allow the measurement of risks associated with treatment.
Because factors affecting infectious disease generally act quickly it may be possible to use novel study designs that give more reliable answers, such as case cross-over. A case serves as its own control, thus a person's exposures over one time period are compared to their own exposures at another time period.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0395
Date of REC Opinion
12 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion