The effect of diabetes mellitus on organ dysfunction with sepsis: an epidemiological study

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Annette Esper, Emory University; Marc Moss, University of Colorado at Denver; Greg Martin, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2009-02-13
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2009 Esper et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
• Final Published Version (URL): http://ccforum.com/content/13/1/R18
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Critical Care
• ISSN: 1364-8535
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 6
• Grant/Funding Information: DSM was supported by grant HL K23-067739 and MM by grant AA R01-014435 from the National Institutes of Health.
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, General; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic co-morbid medical conditions in the USA and is frequently present in patients with sepsis. Previous studies reported that people with DM and severe sepsis are less likely to develop acute lung injury (ALI). We sought to determine whether organ dysfunction differed between people with and without DM and sepsis. Methods Using the National Hospital Discharge Survey US, sepsis cases from 1979 to 2003 were integrated with DM prevalence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Diabetes Surveillance System. Results During the study period 930 million acute-care hospitalisations and 14.3 million people with DM were identified. Sepsis occurred in 12.5 million hospitalisations and DM was present in 17% of patients with sepsis. In the population, acute respiratory failure was the most common organ dysfunction (13%) followed by acute renal failure (6%). People with DM were less likely to develop acute respiratory failure (9% vs. 14%, p < 0.05) and more likely to develop acute renal failure (13% vs. 7%, p < 0.05). Of people with DM and sepsis, 27% had a respiratory source of infection compared with 34% in people with no DM (p < 0.05). Among patients with a pulmonary source of sepsis, 16% of those with DM and 23% of those with no DM developed acute respiratory failure (p < 0.05); in non-pulmonary sepsis acute respiratory failure occurred in 6% of people with DM and 10% in those with no DM (p < 0.05). Conclusions In sepsis, people with diabetes are less likely to develop acute respiratory failure, irrespective of source of infection. Future studies should determine the relationship of these findings to reduced risk of ALI in people with DM and causative mechanisms.