For their study, researchers assessed 14,657 adult patients who received critical care at two Boston hospitals from 1997-2007. The researchers also relied on data from the U.S. Census, hospital administrative records and blood cultures taken 48 hours before and after critical care started to determine whether a bloodstream infection had occurred.
After adjusting for a number of factors, including age, sex and race, the researchers found patients who lived in neighborhoods with a 20-40 percent poverty rate had a 26 percent increased risk for bloodstream infections than patients who lived in neighborhoods with a poverty rate less than 5 percent.
In addition, patients who lived in neighborhoods with a poverty rate higher than 40 percent had a 50 percent increased risk for infection. The researchers concluded poorer patients may face the higher risk due to higher stress levels and weaker immune systems, according to the report.
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