Impact of liver cirrhosis on mortality in patients with community-acquired bacteremia

Few studies have analyzed the impact of liver cirrhosis, a clinically significant comorbid medical condition, on the mortality of patients with community-acquired bacteremia. We conducted an observational study of 839 consecutive community-acquired bacteremia patients who were hospitalized through the emergency department (ED). We compared the 30-day mortality of bacteremia patients with and without liver cirrhosis using Cox proportional hazards regression. The probability of survival at day 30 was significantly different for the cirrhotic and noncirrhotic groups (53% versus 82%, respectively; P < 0.001 by the log-rank test). Multivariate analysis indicated that liver cirrhosis was associated with an increased risk of short-term mortality (hazard ratio, 2.0, 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.5), as well as age, higher comorbidity index, and markers obtained from clinical presentation at ED. In conclusion, in addition to the effects from other prognostic factors, liver cirrhosis has a significant impact on the mortality of patients with community-acquired bacteremia. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.