1 INTRODUCTION
Bacteremia, which can lead to sepsis, is a life-threatening organ
dysfunction, caused by disorder of host response to infection, resulting
in higher morbidity and mortality in the world[1]. In this condition, pathogenic bacteria
penetrate the blood system, proliferate within the circulatory system,
and discharge diverse metabolites, inciting a systemic inflammatory
response. Bacteremia’s rapid progression and high mortality rate lead to
an estimated 8 million deaths annually, underscoring the urgency of
early diagnosis and treatment to curtail its fatality[2]. Particularly vulnerable are the elderly,
given their reduced immunity. Furthermore, bacteremia’s course in older
individuals is typically stealthy, with less apparent clinical symptoms.
This leads to poor prognosis and increased mortality, so early detection
and intervention are critical for this population[3].
Currently, the clinical ”gold standard” for diagnosing bacteremia is a
laboratory blood culture [4]. However, this
method’s significant drawback is its prolonged duration, taking about
5-7 days. Moreover, positive culture results necessitate contamination
exclusion, and negative results do not entirely rule out bacteremia,
increasing the risk of missing optimal diagnosis and treatment windows.
Medical practitioners continuously seek rapid biomarkers for diagnosing
bacteremia, such as procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and
interleukin-6 (IL-6). While they can aid in bacteremia’s early
detection, their moderate diagnostic efficacy, extended turnaround time,
and high cost impose limitation.
Routine blood parameters, which are cost-effective, straightforward to
operate, and suitable for primary hospitals, hold potential in
predicting bacteremia. Numerous studies across the globe have
highlighted routine blood’s value in identifying patients at high risk
for bacteremia early and anticipating adverse outcomes[5].
However, the correlation between routine blood parameters and geriatric
bacteremia, as well as the correlation between routine blood parameters
and various bacterial pathogens of geriatric bacteremia, remain
underexplored in China. This paper aims to report the associations
between white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR),
platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), red blood cell distribution width
(RDW), and geriatric bacteremia, along with its bacterial pathogens.