Racial variation in the incidence, care, and outcomes of severe sepsis: analysis of population, patient, and hospital characteristics.
BACKGROUND
Higher rates of sepsis have been reported in minorities.


OBJECTIVE
To explore racial differences in the incidence and associated case fatality of severe sepsis, accounting for clinical, social, health care service delivery, and geographic characteristics.


METHODS
Retrospective population-based cohort study using hospital discharge and U.S. Census data for all persons (n = 71,102,655) living in 68 hospital referral regions in six states.


RESULTS
Age-, sex- and race-standardized severe sepsis incidence and inpatient case fatality rates, adjusted incidence rate ratios, and adjusted intensive care unit (ICU) admission and case fatality rate differences. Of 8,938,111 nonfederal hospitalizations, 282,292 had severe sepsis. Overall, blacks had the highest age- and sex-standardized population-based incidence (6.08/1,000 vs. 4.06/1,000 for Hispanics and 3.58/1,000 for whites) and ICU case fatality (32.1 vs. 30.4% for Hispanics and 29.3% for whites, P < 0.0001). Adjusting for differences in poverty in their region of residence, blacks still had a higher population-based incidence of severe sepsis (adjusted rate ratio, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.42-1.46]) than whites, but Hispanics had a lower incidence (adjusted rate ratio, 0.91 [0.90-0.92]). Among patients with severe sepsis admitted to the ICU, adjustments for clinical characteristics and the treating hospital fully explained blacks' higher ICU case fatality.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher adjusted black incidence and the lower Hispanic incidence may reflect residual confounding, or it could signal biologic differences in susceptibility. Focused interventions to improve processes and outcomes of care at the hospitals that disproportionately treat blacks could narrow disparities in overall mortality from severe sepsis.
Barnato
Amber E
AE
Center for Research on Health Care, 200 Meyran Ave., Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. aeb2@pitt.edu
Alexander
Sherri L
SL
Linde-Zwirble
Walter T
WT
Angus
Derek C
DC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People