Candida bloodstream infection in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological characteristics and mortality of patients with Candida bloodstream infection and systemic autoimmune diseases.

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study of candidemia in adults with systemic autoimmune diseases between 2010 and 2016.

Results: Among 1040 patients with candidemia, 36 (3.5%) had a systemic autoimmune disease. The most common systemic autoimmune disease was rheumatoid arthritis (27.8%). The most common species was Candida albicans (66.7%). Twenty-two (61.1%) patients received a corticosteroid therapy and nine (25%) received an immunosuppressive therapy at the time of candidemia. The mortality rate was 27.8%.

Conclusions: Systemic autoimmune diseases are not common in patients with candidemia. The unadjusted mortality rate was comparable to other candidemia studies in the general population.

Keywords: Candidemia; Corticosteroid therapy; Immunosuppressive therapy; Systemic autoimmune disease.