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A Data-Driven Approach to Quantifying Immune States in Sepsis
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Community characteristics and regional variations in sepsis
Justin Xavier Moore1,2,3, John P Donnelly1,2, Russell Griffin2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.
International Journal of Epidemiology
|November 10, 2017
Summary
Sepsis incidence varies regionally in the US, particularly in the Sepsis Belt and Clusters. Community poverty is a key factor driving these geographic differences in sepsis incidence.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Background:
- Sepsis causes over 200,000 deaths annually in the USA.
- Regional patterns of sepsis mortality and their underlying community characteristics are poorly understood.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for targeted public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of community characteristics on regional variations in sepsis incidence and case fatality.
- To identify specific geographic regions with higher sepsis risk.
- To determine if community socioeconomic factors mediate these regional differences.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort.
- Defined geographic regions as 'Sepsis Belt' vs. Non-Belt and 'Sepsis Cluster' vs. Non-Cluster.
- Adjusted for participant characteristics and examined the mediating effect of community factors on sepsis incidence and case fatality.
Main Results:
- Sepsis incidence was significantly higher in both the Sepsis Belt (HR=1.14) and Sepsis Clusters (HR=1.18).
- No significant difference in sepsis case fatality was observed between the defined regions.
- Community poverty was identified as a significant mediator of regional variations in sepsis incidence.
Conclusions:
- Regional disparities in sepsis incidence are partly explained by community poverty.
- Other community characteristics examined did not account for regional variations in sepsis incidence or case fatality.
- Findings highlight the importance of socioeconomic factors in sepsis epidemiology.
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