Bacterial distribution and predictive value of blood routine parameters
in elderly patients with bacteremia: a cross-sectional study
Abstract
to assess the distribution of bacteremia pathogens in elderly patients,
to evaluate the impact of gender on pathogen distribution, and to
determine the predictive value of routine blood parameters for
diagnosing bacteremia. Methods: A total of 151 elderly patients (≥60
years old) who admitted to hospital from October 2022 to June 2023 were
retrospectively studied. Routine blood test and blood culture were
performed. ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of
blood routine parameters: white blood cell (WBC),
neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR),
red blood cell distribution width (RDW). Results: The subjects were
categorized into either the culture-positive group (82 cases) and the
culture-negative one (69 cases) according to blood culture results.
There were no significant differences in age and gender between groups.
The primary bacterial pathogens of bacteremia in the elderly were
Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus. A
significantly higher culture positivity rate for E. coli was found in
elderly female patients compared to their male counterparts (P = 0.021).
The area under the ROC curve of four parameters was: WBC, 0.851 (95%
confidence interval (CI) 0.790 - 0.912); NLR, 0.919 (95% CI 0.875 -
0.963); PLR, 0.609 (95% CI 0.518 - 0.700); and RDW was 0.626 (95% CI
0.563 - 0.717). Conclusion: The most frequently pathogenic microorganism
causing bacteremia was E. coli, with elderly female patients having a
significantly higher rate of culture positivity. Routine blood
parameters (WBC, NLR, PLR, and RDW) demonstrated predictive potential
for bacteremia in elderly patients.