title: Gender differences in risk of bloodstream and surgical site infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Identifying patients most at risk for hospital- and community-associated infections is one essential strategy for preventing infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether rates of community- and healthcare-associated bloodstream and surgical site infections varied by patient gender in a large cohort after controlling for a wide variety of possible confounders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients discharged from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008 (133,756 adult discharges and 66,592 pediatric discharges) from a 650-bed tertiary care hospital, a 220-bed community hospital, and a 280-bed pediatric acute care hospital within a large, academic medical center in New York, NY.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected retrospectively from various electronic sources shared by the hospitals and linked using patients' unique medical record numbers. Infections were identified using previously validated computerized algorithms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Odds of community-associated bloodstream infections, healthcare-associated bloodstream infections, and surgical site infections were significantly lower for women than for men after controlling for present-on-admission patient characteristics and events during the hospital stay [odds ratios (95 % confidence intervals) were 0.85 (0.77-0.93), 0.82 (0.74-0.91), and 0.78 (0.68-0.91), respectively]. Gender differences were greatest for older adolescents (12-17 years) and adults 18-49 years and least for young children (<12 years) and older adults (≥ 70 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this cohort, men were at higher risk for bloodstream and surgical site infections, possibly due to differences in propensity for skin colonization or other anatomical differences.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Nursing, 617 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA, bac2116@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Bevin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Yoon Jeong
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hyman
authors.forename: E Yoko
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neidell
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult