Chronic hepatitis C as a risk factor for colorectal adenoma.

INTRODUCTION: Over the last decade, epidemiologic studies have determined a relationship between chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and malignancies other than hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in gastrointestinal malignancies. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of colorectal adenomas and advanced neoplasia in CHC patients compared to the general population and to evaluate whether CHC infection is an independent risk factor for colorectal adenomas and advanced neoplasia. METHODS: This is a retrospective, case-control study. CHC patients who underwent screening colonoscopy between September 2006 and September 2010 were compared to randomly selected non-hepatitis C controls undergoing screening colonoscopy during the same period. Multivariate analysis was performed taking into account the known risk factors for colorectal adenoma. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-three CHC patients and 466 controls that underwent screening colonoscopy were included in the study. CHC patients were younger and more likely to be male, smoker and have HIV infection compared to the control group (p < 0.05). CHC group had a significantly higher number of patients with adenomas (adenoma detection rate of 37.8 vs. 30.3 %; p = 0.04) and hyperplastic polyps (p = 0.01) detected on screening colonoscopy. The total number of adenomas detected was also higher in the CHC group; however, this was not statistically significant (0.69 vs. 0.58 per patient; p > 0.05). CHC patients were twice more likely to have advanced neoplasia detected compared to non-hepatitis C patients (odds ratio 2.04, 95 % confidence interval = 1.20-3.49; p = 0.03). CHC group was also more likely to have adenomas of ≥6 mm (p = 0.005) and macroadenomas of ≥1 cm (p = 0.02). LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the single-center, retrospective design of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to demonstrate a significantly higher rate of adenomas, advanced neoplasia, and hyperplastic polyps in CHC patients compared to the general population. On multivariate analysis, CHC infection was found to be an independent risk factor for colorectal adenoma, particularly advanced neoplasia. Larger prospective studies are needed to strengthen our findings which may have implications for colorectal cancer screening.

Inadequate empirical antimicrobial treatment in older people with bacteremic urinary tract infection who reside in nursing homes: A multicenter prospective observational study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the rate of inadequate empirical antimicrobial treatment in older nursing home residents with bacteremic urinary tract infection and its influence on prognosis. METHODS: We carried out a multicentric prospective observational study in five Spanish hospitals. Patients aged >65 years with pyelonephritis or urinary sepsis with bacteremia were included. Clinical characteristics, the percentage of inadequate empirical antibiotic treatment, length of hospital stay and mortality were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 181 patients, 54.7% women, were included in the study, and 35.9% of the patients came from nursing homes. These patients had higher percentages of ultimately or rapidly fatal disease (92.3% vs 53.4%; P < 0.001), were older (83.15 ± 6.97 years vs 79.34 ± 7.25 years; P = 0.001) and had higher Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (28.38 ± 8.57 vs 19.83 ± 5.88). The percentage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases was higher in patients from nursing homes (30.6% vs 16.3%; P = 0.045), as was the percentage of inadequate empirical antibiotic treatment (40% vs 20.7%; P = 0.005). Length of hospital stay was longer (10.82 ± 3.62 days vs 9.04 ± 4.88 days; P < 0.001). However, 30-day mortality was not related to nursing home by multivariate analysis (OR 1.905, 95% CI 0.563-6.446; P = 0.300). CONCLUSIONS: Nursing home patients with bacteremic urinary tract infections had a higher rate of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriacea and inadequate empirical antimicrobial treatment. Clinicians should consider these findings and avoid inappropriate antimicrobial agents for empirical treatment. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1112-1117.

The clinical impact of bacteremia on outcomes in elderly patients with pyelonephritis or urinary sepsis: A prospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Bacteremia is common in severe urinary infections, but its influence on the outcomes is not well established. The aim of this study was to assess the association of bacteremia with outcomes in elderly patients admitted to hospital with pyelonephritis or urinary sepsis. METHODS: This prospective muticenter observational study was conducted at 5 Spanish hospitals. All patients aged >65 years with pyelonephritis or urinary sepsis admitted to the departments of internal medicine and with urine and blood cultures obtained at admission to hospital were eligible. Transfer to ICU, length of hospital stay, hospital mortality and all cause 30-day mortality in bacteremic and non-bacteremic groups were compared. Risk factors for all cause 30-day mortality was also estimated. RESULTS: Of the 424 patients included in the study 181 (42.7%) had bacteremia. Neither transfer to ICU (4.4% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.400), nor length of hospital stay (9.7±4.6 days vs. 9.0±7.3 days, p = 0.252), nor hospital mortality (3.3% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.187), nor all cause 30-day mortality (9.4% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.223) were different between bacteremic and non-bacteremic groups. By multivariate analysis, risk factors for all cause 30-day mortality were age (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.10), McCabe index ≥2 (OR 10.47, 95% CI 2.96-37.04) and septic shock (OR 8.56, 95% CI 2.86-25.61); whereas, bacteremia was inversely associated with all cause 30-day mortality (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.15-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, bacteremia was not associated with a worse prognosis in elderly patients with pyelonephritis or urinary sepsis.