Risk Factors of Secondary Bacterial Infection in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Secondary bacterial infections complicate COVID-19, increasing mortality and hospital stay duration.
• Identifying risk factors for these bacterial complications is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify independent risk factors associated with bacterial infections in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of records from 1963 adult patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19 between March 2020 and November 2021.
• Logistic regression models were employed to determine factors linked to complicating bacterial infections.

Main Results:

• Bacterial infections occurred in 18% of patients (351/1963).
• Independent risk factors for bacterial infection included older age (OR per decade: 1.21), longer hospitalization (OR per day: 1.12), and higher D-dimer concentration (OR per 500 units: 1.01).

Conclusions:

• Reducing hospitalization length may decrease bacterial infection risk, particularly in elderly COVID-19 patients.
• Activated coagulation, indicated by D-dimer levels, is associated with an increased risk of bacterial infection in COVID-19 patients.