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Volume 31, Number 5—May 2025
CME ACTIVITY - Research
Nationwide Observational Case–Control Study of Risk Factors for Aerococcus Bloodstream Infections, Sweden
, Malin Inghammar, Magnus Rasmussen, and Torgny Sunnerhagen
Table 2
Characteristics of participants in nationwide observational case–control study of risk factors for Aerococcus BSIs, Sweden, 2012–2016*
| Characteristics | Controls, n = 2,308 | Aerococcal BSI, n = 577 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | |||
| Median (IQR) | 82 (74–87) | 82 (74–87) | 1.0 |
| 0–5 | 8 (0.3) | 2 (0.3) | |
| 6–18 | 0 | 0 | |
| 19–76 | 796 (34.5) | 199 (34.5) | |
| 77–85 | 740 (32.1) | 185 (32.1) | |
| >85 |
764 (33.1) |
191 (33.1) |
|
| Sex | 1.0 | ||
| M | 1,816 (78.7) | 454 (78.7) | |
| F |
492 (21.3) |
123 (21.3) |
|
| Residence, regional council | 1.0 | ||
| Skåne | 584 (25.3) | 146 (25.3) | |
| Stockholm | 396 (17.2) | 99 (17.2) | |
| Västra Götaland | 376 (16.3) | 94 (16.3) | |
| Kalmar | 124 (5.4) | 31 (5.4) | |
| Uppsala | 100 (4.3) | 25 (4.3) | |
| Other† |
728 (31.5) |
182 (31.5) |
|
| Previous treatment for another infection,‡ mo | <0.001 | ||
| 1–3 | 231 (10.0) | 129 (22.4) | |
| >3–9 | 281 (12.2) | 100 (17.3) | |
| >9–24 | 416 (18.0) | 122 (21.1) | |
| >24 or never |
1,380 (59.8) |
226 (39.2) |
|
| Malignant disease, nonurologic | 182 (7.9) | 75 (13.0) | <0.001 |
| Urologic conditions§ | 753 (31.8) | 331 (57.4) | <0.001 |
| Neurologic conditions |
318 (13.8) |
227 (39.3) |
<0.001 |
| Hospital admissions, median (IQR) |
0 (0–1) |
1 (0–3) |
<0.001 |
| Kidney disease | 93 (4.0) | 52 (9.0) | <0.001 |
| Pulmonary disease | 346 (15.0) | 122 (21.1) | 0.001 |
| Gastrointestinal disease | 255 (11.0) | 105 (18.2) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 324 (14.0) | 113 (19.6) | <0.001 |
| Cardiovascular disease |
814 (35.3) |
292 (50.6) |
<0.001 |
| Number of prescribed drugs, median (IQR) |
7 (4–12) |
11 (7–16) |
<0.001 |
| Rheumatological disease | 390 (16.9) | 130 (22.5) | 0.002 |
| Corticosteroid therapy | 309 (13.4) | 96 (16.6) | 0.05 |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. The matching variables age, sex, and geographic region were distributed equally, but patients with aerococcal BSI were disproportionately affected by all investigated conditions. p values were calculated by χ2 or Mann-Whitney U tests as appropriate. BSI, bloodstream infection; IQR, interquartile range. †Other regions were Östergötland, Jönköping, Kronoberg, Blekinge, Halland, Värmland, Örebro, Västmanland, Dalarna, and Norrbotten. ‡Time in months indicates when treatment for another infection occurred before the aerococcal BSI was detected. §Including urologic malignancies.