Report calls for action to prevent infection disparities for dialysis patients

Adults receiving dialysis treatment for end-stage kidney disease were 100 times more likely to have a Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection than adults not on dialysis during 2017-2020, with the risk 40% higher for Hispanic patients than white patients, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of Americans receiving dialysis belong to a racial or ethnic minority group. Areas with higher poverty levels, household crowding and lower education levels had disproportionately higher infection rates. 
 
“Our data show that use of a central venous catheter as a vascular access type had six times higher risk for staph bloodstream infections when compared to the lowest-risk access, a fistula,” said Shannon Novosad, M.D., dialysis safety team lead in CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “Prevention efforts that equitably promote lower-risk vascular access types and continued use of infection prevention and control best practices can save lives.”