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. 2023 Mar;23(3):179-187.
doi: 10.1111/ggi.14539. Epub 2023 Jan 20.

Incidence and risk factors for norovirus-related diarrhea in Japanese geriatric intermediate care facilities: A prospective cohort study

Asae Suita  1 , Satoko Ohfuji  1   2 , Wakaba Fukushima  1   2 , Kazuya Ito  3   4 , Tetsuo Kase  1   2 , Kyoko Kondo  5 , Motoki Ishibashi  6 , Hiroko Kumashiro  6 , Shuji Kawai  7 , Akifumi Deguchi  8 , Hiroyuki Nakata  9 , Kazuko Iba  10 , Tetsuya Kita  11 , Kazuhiko Kinugawa  12 , Kazutaka Hamada  13 , Mikio Fujimoto  14 , Yoshio Furukawa  15 , Etsuji Sowa  16 , Hideo Nakazawa  17 , Yoshio Hirota  4
Affiliations

Incidence and risk factors for norovirus-related diarrhea in Japanese geriatric intermediate care facilities: A prospective cohort study

Asae Suita et al. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2023 Mar.

Erratum in

Abstract

Aim: The risk of developing infectious diarrhea among elderly residents at Japanese geriatric intermediate care facilities is unclear. We investigated the incidence rate and risk factors of norovirus-related diarrhea at such facilities.

Methods: This prospective cohort study followed 1727 residents from November 2018 to April 2020 at 10 geriatric intermediate care facilities in Osaka, Japan regarding the occurrence of diarrhea. Resident data were collected from their medical records using structured forms at two to three of the following three time points: at recruitment, if they developed diarrhea, and when they left the facility. Residents who developed diarrhea were tested using rapid diagnostic tests for norovirus. Cox proportional hazard model was employed to hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the risk factors for norovirus-related diarrhea.

Results: During the study period, 74 residents developed diarrhea, 13 of whom were norovirus positive. The incidence rate of norovirus-related diarrhea was 10.11 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 4.61-15.61). In terms of risk factors, people with care-needs level 3 were at a higher risk for developing norovirus-related diarrhea (adjusted HR [aHR] = 7.35, 95% CI: 1.45-37.30). Residents with hypertension (aHR = 3.41, 95% CI: 1.05-11.04) or stroke (aHR = 8.84, 95% CI: 2.46-31.83), and those who walked with canes (aHR = 16.68, 95% CI: 1.35-206.52) also had a significantly higher risk for norovirus-related diarrhea.

Conclusions: Throughout the study period, the incidence of development of diarrhea was low. Care-needs level 3, stroke, hypertension and use of a cane were identified as risk factors for norovirus-related diarrhea in Japanese geriatric intermediate care facilities. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 179-187.

Keywords: Japan; cohort study; diarrhea; intermediate care facility; norovirus.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of residents who developed diarrhea by week and facility during the study period. During the study period (surrounded by the broken line), 13 residents were positive for norovirus. No residents were positive for norovirus at periods other than that indicated by the broken line.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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