Diabetics and Pneumococcal Infection

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> Diabetics at Higher Risk of Pneumococcal Infection

> Reuters Health

>

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with diabetes face an increased risk

> of contracting a serious pneumococcal bloodstream infection, Danish

> researchers report. The finding supports the recommendation that

> diabetics benefit from pneumococcal vaccination, especially if they have

> chronic heart or lung disease.

>

> Dr. Reimar Wernich Thomsen of Aarhus University Hospital in Aalborg and

> colleagues note in the medical journal Diabetes Care that there are

> several factors, including high blood glucose, that may increase the risk

> of bacterial infection in diabetics.

>

> To look into the matter, the researchers studied 598 people who were

> hospitalized for the first time with pneumococcal bacteremia -- that is,

> a serious bloodstream infection -- during a 10-year period. Each case was

> compared with 10 " control " subjects who were matched for age and gender

> but did not have bacteremia.

>

> In all, 53 of the affected patients (9 percent) had diabetes compared

> with just 298 (5 percent) of controls. After adjustment for other

> illnesses, the odds of contracting pneumococcal bacteremia were 50

> percent higher for people with diabetes.

>

> However, age made a difference to the magnitude of the risk of becoming

> infected. Among diabetics 40 years of age or younger, the odds were 4

> times higher. This might be because younger patients are more likely to

> be exposed to sources of infection, such as children in daycare.

>

> All in all, the researchers estimate that 24 of 1000 hospital admissions

> for pneumococcal bacteremia may be attributed to diabetes.

>

> Thomsen's team notes that rates of pneumococcal vaccination in Denmark

> are " unfortunately " low, compared with many states in the U.S. While this

> might be a public health problem, on the other hand vaccine coverage

> probably didn't have a major impact on their findings.

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