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Diabetes Increases Risk of Blood Poisoning
Diabetes Increases Risk of Blood Poisoning -- Posted by Gumbo on 02-16-05 05:27
Diabetes Increases Risk of Blood Poisoning
A new study adds potentially fatal blood infections to the list of health
risks from diabetes, a condition that is on the rise in the United States as
obesity rates climb, according to a new study.
Researchers have known for years that obesity and diabetes are linked. Most
diabetics have type 2 diabetes - and most people with type 2 diabetes are
obese. Diabetes can cause a host of health troubles, including kidney
problems, damage to nerves and blood vessels and blindness. A heightened
risk of infections in diabetic people has also been suggested. The condition
known as sepsis can be brought on by bloodstream infection, and may lead to
fever and septic shock, a potentially fatal drop in blood pressure.
Diabetic people are more vulnerable to bacterial blood infections called
bacteremia, particularly if they develop other bacterial infections, such as
urinary tract infections (UTIs). Danish researchers studied more than 1300
patients with bacteremia caused by E. coli and related bacteria and found
that about 17% had diabetes, compared with only 6% among the controls, who
were matched for age and sex from the general population.
Compared with nondiabetics, diabetic patients were more likely to have
bacteremia caused by urinary tract infection, rather than abdominal
infection. Death after bacteremia also occurred more often in diabetics than
in nondiabetics. The findings are published in the February 15, 2005, issue
of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
So, with type 2 diabetes becoming increasingly common as Americans gain
weight, the risk for serious infectious complications is a real one,
according to Reimar Thomsen, MD, PhD, lead author of the study. "Bacteremia
... is a life-threatening infection," he said, "and bacteremia with sepsis
is the 10th most common cause of death in the United States." Thomsen of
Aalborg Hospital and Aarhus University Hospital (currently with Vanderbilt
University) added that urinary tract infections seem to be a common problem
in diabetics, and that the researchers "believe that urinary tract
infections are the most important link between diabetes and an increased
risk of bacteremias caused by E. coli and related bacteria."
To reduce the risk of potentially fatal infection, Thomsen suggested that
diabetics -particularly women, who are more prone to UTIs - try to avoid
known risk factors, such as unnecessary catheterization. "Diabetic persons
with signs and symptoms of urinary tract infection or bacteremia/sepsis
should always seek medical care promptly, and doctors should keep a high
level of suspicion for these infections if the patient has got diabetes,"
Thomsen added. This article was prepared by Blood Weekly editors from staff
and other reports. Copyright 2005, Blood Weekly via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net.
To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com.
© 2004 NewsRx.com. All Rights Reserved.;;©Copyright 2005, Blood Weekly via
NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net
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