Burden of candidiasis-related mortality in the United States and evaluation of comorbid illness risk factors: A multiple-cause-of-death study, 1990 - 2006

In the United States, multiple cause coded death data are collected and maintained systematically without the purpose of being used for specific research. Nevertheless, this dissertation used retrospective administrative data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for the years 1990-2006. Despite the availability of administrative and surveillance data on the disease incidence of candidiasis, this study is the first large, national population study with sufficient power to incorporate the use of multiple cause coded death records (approximately forty million) to establish a measure of mortality for candidiasis-related deaths.;The question of whether individuals with key comorbid illnesses are at a greater risk of mortality (due to candidiasis) remains inconclusive; what remains unclear is whether individuals with key comorbid illnesses (ischemic heart disease (IHD), diabetes mellitus (DM), renal failure (RF), HIV, and cancer) are at a higher risk for candidiasis-related mortality than the general public. The present study examined this phenomenon in more detail. The study findings showed variations across gender, race/ethnicity, age, geographic location, and temporal trends. Multiple logistic regression revealed associations between candidiasis-related mortality and key comorbid conditions (HIV, renal failure, and diabetes mellitus).