Short and long term mortality associated with foodborne bacterial gastrointestinal infections: registry based study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the excess mortality associated with infections with Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Shigella and to examine the effect of pre-existing illness.


METHODS
Registry based, matched cohort study.


METHODS
Denmark.


METHODS
48 857 people with gastrointestinal infections plus 487 138 controls from the general population.


METHODS
One year mortality among patients with gastrointestinal infections compared with controls after adjustment for comorbidity.


RESULTS
1071 (2.2%) people with gastrointestinal infections died within one year after infection compared with 3636 (0.7%) controls. The relative mortality within one year was 3.1 times higher in patients than in controls. The relative mortality within 30 days of infection was high in all four bacterial groups. Furthermore, there was excess mortality one to six months after infection with Yersinia enterocolitica (relative risk 2.53, 95% confidence interval 1.38 to 4.62) and from six months to one year after infection with Campylobacter (1.35, 1.02 to 1.80) and Salmonella (1.53, 1.31 to 1.79).


CONCLUSIONS
Infections with all these bacteria were associated with an increased short term risk of death, even after pre-existing illnesses were taken into account. Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia enterocolitica infections were also associated with increased long term mortality.
Helms
Morten
M
Department of Epidemiology Research, Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Statens Serum Institut, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark.
Vastrup
Pernille
P
Gerner-Smidt
Peter
P
Mølbak
Kåre
K
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors