Patients with kidney disease who receive hemodialysis are at a much higher risk of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections than the general population. A new study has found that Black and Hispanic dialysis patients — along with those who are younger, poorer and less educated — face disproportionately elevated risk as well.
In 2020, 4,840 dialysis facilities reported 14,822 bloodstream infections to the National Healthcare Safety Network, according to investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than one-third (34%) of those infections were a result of S. aureus, they found.
Between 2017 and 2020, the infection rate was 100 times higher in the hemodialysis patient population than among adults not on hemodialysis. The highest S. aureus infection rates were among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic hemodialysis patients.
In addition, those who used a central venous catheter were most likely to become infected when compared to those who used fistula or graft access, the researchers reported.
When the findings were adjusted for site of residence, sex and vascular access type, S. aureus bloodstream infection risk was the highest in Hispanic patients versus non-Hispanic White patients and in those aged 18 to 49 years compared with patients aged 65 years and older. Higher poverty levels, crowding and lower education levels also were linked to disproportionately higher infection rates.
The results suggest that clinicians and public health officials should can implement strategies to help lower the risk of end-stage renal disease, improve access to treatment options and protect against hemodialysis bloodstream infections, the researchers said.
“A comprehensive approach to preventive care that recognizes racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities is needed,” they concluded.
Full findings were published Monday, February 6, in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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