FW: [autoimmunejourney] BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS ON THE RISE

May 23, 2002

Bloodstream Infections on the Rise

By ERIN McCLAM

..c The Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) - Sepsis, the bloodstream infection that destroys the body's

organs by causing massive inflammation, is increasing at a rapid rate in the

United States, according to a 20-year study released Tuesday.

The rate of sepsis infections rose an average of 16 percent a year from 1979

to 1999, the latest year for which statistics are available, said the study

by Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The total increase for the two-decade period was 329 percent.

Researchers said the rise is probably because doctors are becoming more

adept at diagnosing the infections, and because overuse of antibiotics is

creating drug-resistant germs, making the infections harder to fight.

Sepsis sets off a chemical reaction that cripples the body's ability to

break up blood clots, choking off organs by rampant inflammation. It can be

a complication of trauma, surgery or many illnesses.

Patients can be treated with antibiotics and fluids, but the infection still

kills about 225,000 Americans a year. It accounts for about $15 billion in

health care costs each year in the United States, the study said.

The good news: Sepsis is becoming less deadly as doctors learn to recognize

it more quickly.

The infection killed patients about 17 percent of the time in 1999, compared

with 29 percent in 1979, the study said.

Last year, the federal government approved the first drug - Eli Lilly &

Co.'s Xigris - to treat sepsis infections directly, by slowing the clotting

and inflammation.

In severe cases, sepsis kills 30 percent to 40 percent of the people it

strikes, but Xigris cuts the chances to about 25 percent, the researchers

said, making early diagnosis even more critical.

``If you wait even four to eight hours to begin antibiotic therapy, the

mortality from sepsis worsens considerably,'' said Dr. Greg , an Emory

lung expert.

The study was compiled from a 20-year analysis of hospital discharge

reports. The results were presented at the annual conference of the American

Thoracic Society, taking place this week in Atlanta.

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