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Volume 24, Number 4—April 2018
CME ACTIVITY - Synopsis

Reemergence of Intravenous Drug Use as Risk Factor for Candidemia, Massachusetts, USA

Nongnooch Poowanawittayakom, Anamika Dutta, Shannon Stock, Sunkaru Touray, Richard T. Ellison, and Stuart M. LevitzComments to Author 
Author affiliations: University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA (N. Poowanawittayakom, S. Touray, R.T. Ellison III, S.M. Levitz); College of the Holy Cross, Worcester (A. Dutta, S. Stock)

Main Article

Table 1

Baseline characteristics and risk factors for candidemia, categorized by IVDU and non-IVDU groups, among patients at a tertiary care hospital, Massachusetts, USA, 2010–2017*

Characteristics IVDU Non-IVDU p value
No. patients 24 174
Median age (IQR) 43.5 (14.8) 64.0 (19.0) <0.001
Female sex† 6 (25.0) 70 (40.2) 0.183
Prosthetic valve 3 (12.5) 2 (1.2) 0.013
Hepatitis C 14 (58.3) 14 (8.1) <0.001
HIV 0 1 (0.6) 1.00
History of malignancy 2 (8.3) 42 (24.1) 0.114
Diabetes 3 (12.5) 55 (31.6) 0.058
Systemic immunosuppression‡ 3 (12.5) 28 (16.1) 1.00
Central intravenous line 9 (37.5) 67 (38.5) 1.00
History of broad-spectrum antimicrobial drug exposure§ 4 (16.7) 27 (15.5) 1.00
Kidney disease, on dialysis 3 (12.5) 5 (2.9) 0.058
Genitourinary surgery/procedure§ 0 14 (8.1) 0.226
Gastrointestinal surgery/procedure§ 3 (12.5) 22 (12.6) 1.00

*Values are no. (%) patients except as indicated. IQR, interquartile range; IVDU, intravenous drug use.
†In all patients, gender and biological sex were identical.
‡Includes active chemotherapy, systemic corticosteroid use, and immunosuppression within 3 months before the onset of candidemia.
§ Procedure performed <30 days before onset of candidemia.

Main Article

Page created: March 16, 2018
Page updated: March 16, 2018
Page reviewed: March 16, 2018
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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