Heavy alcohol use is a risk factor in severe infections and a new risk factor to fungal sepsis

In his doctoral dissertation, Physician Klaus Kessel studied the disease characteristics of three types of severe generalized infections that require hospitalization and their prognosis in patients with and without alcoholism. The studied infections were Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (septicemia), complicated skin and skin structure infection, and candida bloodstream infection (candidemia).

Heavy drinkers suffered more difficult infections

When compared to the other patients included in the study, Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection ("septicemia") was more difficult in heavy drinkers, and their mortality was also higher. They also needed intensive care more often than the other patients. The prognosis was poorer in heavy drinkers, even though their treatment was comparable to the treatment of the other patients, and they did not have more underlying health conditions. 

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of bloodstream bacterial infection, and the disease is often severe. Even generally healthy people can get Staphylococcus aureus infection. 

Surprisingly, as many as one fifth of the patients with candidemia were heavy drinkers. They often lacked the known risk factors for profound candida infections. In one fifth of the patients, the infection started during intensive care. Bloodstream infection caused by candida are rare and usually associated with immunologic deficiency, abdominal surgery, or infection and a long period of intensive care. 

“Heavy drinkers should be recognized to be one of the risk groups of candida infection in inpatient care, which has not been acknowledged before,” says Doctoral Researcher Klaus Kessel. 

Intensive care more common in complicated skin infections 

With complicated skin infections, heavy drinkers also had longer hospital stays and they needed intensive care more often than the other patients. Treatment also failed with them more often. 

In this group as well, the heavy drinkers were more often male, they were younger and more likely to have a liver disease than the other patients. 

Public examination at Biomedicum on June 6 

Physician Klaus Kessel defends his thesis “Characteristics of bloodstream and complicated skin infections in patients with alcoholism” at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine on June 6, 2025, at 12:15 p.m. The public examination is held at Biomedicum (Auditorium 2, Haartmaninkatu 8, Helsinki). 

The opponent is Associate Professor, Chief Physician Sari Hämäläinen from the University of Eastern Finland, and the custos is Professor Anu Kantele from the Meilahti Vaccine Research Center. The dissertation has been supervised by Director of Inflammation Center Asko Järvinen and Infectious Diseases Specialist, Associate Professor Erik Forsblom