Sepsis Mortality Among Patients with Myeloid Leukemia in the United States, 1999–2023: Insights, Trends, and Disparities
PDF
Supplementary File

Keywords

Sepsis
Mortality
Trends
Myeloid leukemia

How to Cite

1.
Ibrahim AA, Tablawy M, Hemida MF, et al. Sepsis Mortality Among Patients with Myeloid Leukemia in the United States, 1999–2023: Insights, Trends, and Disparities. ASIDE Onc. 2026;1(1):4-12. doi:10.71079/ASIDE.Onc.012026331

Abstract

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that complicates major diseases like myeloid leukemia. Both conditions can lead to morbidity and mortality. Despite its clinical significance, trends in sepsis among myeloid leukemia patients remain understudied. 
Methods: Nationwide mortality records were obtained from the CDC-WONDER database for U.S. adults aged ≥25 with myeloid leukemia (ICD-10 code C92) and sepsis (ICD-10 codes A40, A41) from 1999 to 2023. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 population were calculated for variables. Joinpoint analysis was utilized to evaluate annual percent changes (APCs).

Results: From 1999 to 2023, a total of 35,075 deaths were recorded. The overall AAMR showed a modest but statistically significant increase (0.62) per 100,000 (AAPC 0.31; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.53; p = 0.007). Males experienced higher AAMRs (AAPC: 0.17, 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.40; p = 0.113) than females (0.82 vs.0.48) (AAPC: 0.33, 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.67; p = 0.056). Time trends within each sex were not statistically significant. The highest overall AAMR was recorded among NH Blacks (0.68), followed by NH Whites (0.64). Regional AAMRs were similar; the Northeast showed the largest decline, while the West increased modestly. The overall AAMR was slightly higher in metropolitan areas (0.64) compared to non-metropolitan areas (0.60). Older adults aged ≥ 65 years consistently exhibited the highest CMRs (1.86). Most deaths occurred in inpatient medical facilities (88.80%).

Conclusion: Trends in sepsis mortality among myeloid leukemia patients increased modestly. Higher trends observed in urban areas and NH Blacks. Declines were observed in the Northeast region.

PDF
Supplementary File

References

1. Rhee C, Dantes R, Epstein L, Murphy DJ, Seymour CW, Iwashyna TJ, Kadri SS, Angus DC, Danner RL, Fiore AE, Jernigan JA, Martin GS, Septimus E, Warren DK, Karcz A, Chan C, Menchaca JT, Wang R, Gruber S, Klompas M, Program CDCPE. Incidence and Trends of Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical vs Claims Data, 2009-2014. JAMA. 2017: 1241 [PMID: 28903154, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.13836]

2. Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, Shankar-Hari M, Annane D, Bauer M, Bellomo R, Bernard GR, Chiche JD, Coopersmith CM, Hotchkiss RS, Levy MM, Marshall JC, Martin GS, Opal SM, Rubenfeld GD, van der Poll T, Vincent JL, Angus DC. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016: 801 [PMID: 26903338, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.0287]

3. Paoli CJ, Reynolds MA, Sinha M, Gitlin M, Crouser E. Epidemiology and Costs of Sepsis in the United States-An Analysis Based on Timing of Diagnosis and Severity Level. Crit Care Med. 2018: 1889 [PMID: 30048332, https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000003342]

4. Dantes RB, Kaur H, Bouwkamp BA, Haass KA, Patel P, Dudeck MA, Srinivasan A, Magill SS, Wilson WW, Whitaker M, Gladden NM, McLaughlin ES, Horowitz JK, Posa PJ, Prescott HC. Sepsis Program Activities in Acute Care Hospitals - National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023: 907 [PMID: 37616184, https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7234a2]

5. Rudd KE, Johnson SC, Agesa KM, Shackelford KA, Tsoi D, Kievlan DR, Colombara DV, Ikuta KS, Kissoon N, Finfer S, Fleischmann-Struzek C, Machado FR, Reinhart KK, Rowan K, Seymour CW, Watson RS, West TE, Marinho F, Hay SI, Lozano R, Lopez AD, Angus DC, Murray CJL, Naghavi M. Global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality, 1990-2017: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 2020: 200 [PMID: 31954465, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32989-7]

6. Nates JL, Pene F, Darmon M, Mokart D, Castro P, David S, Povoa P, Russell L, Nielsen ND, Gorecki GP, Gradel KO, Azoulay E, Bauer PR, Nine II. Septic shock in the immunocompromised cancer patient: a narrative review. Crit Care. 2024: 285 [PMID: 39215292, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-024-05073-0]

7. Gudiol C, Albasanz-Puig A, Cuervo G, Carratala J. Understanding and Managing Sepsis in Patients With Cancer in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021: 636547 [PMID: 33869250, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.636547]

8. World Health O. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) [updated 2025/08/31]. Available from: https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/C00-D49/C81-C96/C92-.

9. Hansen BA, Wendelbo O, Bruserud O, Hemsing AL, Mosevoll KA, Reikvam H. Febrile Neutropenia in Acute Leukemia. Epidemiology, Etiology, Pathophysiology and Treatment. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2020: e2020009 [PMID: 31934319, https://doi.org/10.4084/MJHID.2020.009]

10. Malik IA, Cardenas-Turanzas M, Gaeta S, Borthakur G, Price K, Cortes J, Nates JL. Sepsis and Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Population-Level Study of Comparative Outcomes of Patients Discharged From Texas Hospitals. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2017: e27 [PMID: 28844403, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clml.2017.07.009]

11. Roze des Ordons AL, Chan K, Mirza I, Townsend DR, Bagshaw SM. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia admitted to intensive care: a case-control study. BMC Cancer. 2010: 516 [PMID: 20920175, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-10-516]

12. Slavin SD, Fenech A, Jankowski AL, Abel GA, Brunner AM, Steensma DP, Fathi AT, DeAngelo DJ, Wadleigh M, Hobbs GS, Amrein PC, Stone RM, Temel JS, El-Jawahri A. Outcomes for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia after an intensive care unit admission. Cancer. 2019: 3845 [PMID: 31299106, https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.32397]

13. Morrissey R, Lee J, Baral N, Tauseef A, Sood A, Mirza M, Jabbar ABA. Demographic and regional trends of sepsis mortality in the United States, 1999-2022. BMC Infect Dis. 2025: 504 [PMID: 40211200, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10921-7]

14. Liu MA, Bakow BR, Hsu TC, Chen JY, Su KY, Asiedu EK, Hsu WT, Lee CC. Temporal Trends in Sepsis Incidence and Mortality in Patients With Cancer in the US Population. Am J Crit Care. 2021: e71 [PMID: 34195781, https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2021632]

15. Hemida MF, Khan A, Ibrahim AA, Goel A, Patel K, Shahriar Z, Hageen AW, Alsaadi M, Rahman SU, Arafa A, Kholeif Z, Bahnasy A. Trends in Mortality from Leukemia and Ischemic Heart Disease: A 22-Year Analysis in the U.S. (1999-2020). ASIDE Internal Medicine. 2025: 21 https://doi.org/10.71079/aside.Im.091425163]

16. Hemida MF, Ibrahim AA, Shahriar Z, Khalid M, Zeeshan N, Qaisi W, Hussein M, Sarfraz MR, Rabie OM, Saghir M, Saghir E, Jalal AA, Alagamy M, Tabasum P, Ahmed R. Mortality trends in multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease in adults in the United States: A 25-year mortality perspective. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2026: 106861 [PMID: 41308235, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2025.106861]

17. von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gotzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP, Initiative S. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008: 344 [PMID: 18313558, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.11.008]

18. Aggarwal R, Chiu N, Loccoh EC, Kazi DS, Yeh RW, Wadhera RK. Rural-Urban Disparities: Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, and Stroke Mortality Among Black and White Adults, 1999-2018. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2021: 1480 [PMID: 33736831, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.01.032]

19. Ingram DD, Franco SJ. 2013 NCHS Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. Vital Health Stat 2. 2014: 1 [PMID: 24776070,

20. Anderson RN, Rosenberg HM. Age standardization of death rates: implementation of the year 2000 standard. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 1998: 1 [PMID: 9796247,

21. SR P. Joinpoint Regression Program 2025. Available from: https://surveillance.cancer.gov/joinpoint.

22. Durugu SR, Ali H, Sinha S, Kalantri S, Ahmed F, Abboud B, Rojulpote KV, Thirumaran R. Trends in Mortality Due to Hematologic Malignancies Among Patients Aged 25 and Older in the United States: Annual Trends and Insights on Gender Disparities from the CDC Wonder Database. Blood. 2024: 7936 https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2024-206738]

23. Evelyn MK. Sex Disparities in Cancer Immunotherapy: A Review. Research Output Journal of Public Health and Medicine. 2024: 19 https://doi.org/10.59298/rojphm/2024/411924]

24. Asai K, Hiki N, Mimura Y, Ogawa T, Unou K, Kaminishi M. Gender differences in cytokine secretion by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: role of estrogen in modulating LPS-induced cytokine secretion in an ex vivo septic model. Shock. 2001: 340 [PMID: 11699070, https://doi.org/10.1097/00024382-200116050-00003]

25. Majetschak M, Christensen B, Obertacke U, Waydhas C, Schindler AE, Nast-Kolb D, Schade FU. Sex differences in posttraumatic cytokine release of endotoxin-stimulated whole blood: relationship to the development of severe sepsis. J Trauma. 2000: 832 [PMID: 10823526, https://doi.org/10.1097/00005373-200005000-00006]

26. Lakbar I, Einav S, Lalevee N, Martin-Loeches I, Pastene B, Leone M. Interactions between Gender and Sepsis-Implications for the Future. Microorganisms. 2023: [PMID: 36985319, https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030746]

27. Ramirez-Soto MC. Long-term, all-cause mortality risk after infection episodes in older adults. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2023: e452 [PMID: 37659424, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00166-6]

28. Wordsworth D, Dunn-Walters DK. The ageing immune system and its clinical implications. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology. 2010: 110 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959259810000407]

29. Pollyea DA, Kohrt HE, Medeiros BC. Acute myeloid leukaemia in the elderly: a review. Br J Haematol. 2011: 524 [PMID: 21314823, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2141.2010.08470.x]

30. Kadia TM, Wei AH. Evolution of Therapy for Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia: How Should We Use Currently Available Agents? Cancer J. 2022: 67 [PMID: 35072376, https://doi.org/10.1097/PPO.0000000000000574]

31. Borlenghi E, Borlenghi E, Terrenato I, Oberti M, Soverini G, Spolzino A, Cerqui E, Maifredi S, Lovato E, Masina L, Federico F, Bertoli D, Marchesi F, Rossi G, Tucci A. Impact of Infectious Complications Should be Considered When Choosing Chemotherapy for Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia Fit Patients: Results of a Large Monocentric Retrospective Study. Blood. 2024: 5946 https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2024-203868]

32. Ball S, Jain AG, Al Ali N, Aguirre LE, Bewersdorf JP, Kent A, Rose A, Hayden A, Siddon A, Lykon J, Madarang E, Swoboda DM, Padron E, Sweet K, Sallman DA, Lancet J, Carraway HE, Watts J, Zeidan A, Pollyea DA, Komrokji RS. Hypomethylating Agent and Venetoclax Combination Is a Safe and Effective Alternative to Intensive Chemotherapy in Older (>/= 70 Years) Patients With Newly Diagnosed Favorable Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Am J Hematol. 2025: 1920 [PMID: 40772639, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.70031]

33. Jen WY, Loghavi S, Bazinet A, Bataller A, Bouligny I, Daver NG, Issa GC, Arani N, Almanza Huante E, Maiti A, Montalban-Bravo G, Borthakur G, Short NJ, Pierce S, Jabbour E, Garcia-Manero G, Ravandi F, Kantarjian HM, DiNardo CD, Kadia TM. Outcomes and Patterns of Relapse of NPM1 Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treated With Venetoclax Based Therapies. Am J Hematol. 2025: 2118 [PMID: 40874710, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.70046]

34. Jiang L, Liu G, Oeser A, Ihegword A, Dickson AL, Daniel LL, Hung AM, Cox NJ, Chung CP, Wei WQ, Stein CM, Feng Q. Association between APOL1 risk variants and the occurrence of sepsis in Black patients hospitalized with infections: a retrospective cohort study. Elife. 2023: [PMID: 37882666, https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.88538]

35. Rush B, Danziger J, Walley KR, Kumar A, Celi LA. Treatment in Disproportionately Minority Hospitals Is Associated With Increased Risk of Mortality in Sepsis: A National Analysis. Crit Care Med. 2020: 962 [PMID: 32345833, https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000004375]

36. Gong IY, Rafinejad-Farahani B, Majeed H, Soto M, Conti RM, Unger JM, Guerra CE, Rosenthal M, Rodin D. Disparities in Phase II and III Clinical Trial Enrollment for Hematologic Malignancies. Blood. 2024: 5100 https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2024-206450]

37. Loeb NA, Katsnelson O, Jain A, Tahvildar P, Teitelbaum D, Garcia-Horton A. Disparities in the Enrollment of Racialized, Ethnic Minority, and Older Adults in Randomized Trials of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Systematic Review. Blood. 2023: 3813 https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2023-187632]

38. Hantel A, Wang Y, Abraham I, Patel AA, Monick SE, Rauscher GH, Avila Rodriguez AM, Galvez C, Doukas P, Altman JK, Burkart M, Erra A, Zia M, Larson ML, Dave AA, Tsai S, Aleem A, Raptis N, Khan I, Abel GA. Identifying eligibility criteria that perpetuate race/ethnic disparities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) clinical trial participation. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2024: 1589 https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2024.42.16_suppl.1589]

39. Orhin AE, Gyato A, Ohene A, Otoo SD, Assabill F, Akoto NAY, Khanapara D. National Trends and Disparities in Sepsis-Related Mortality in Adults with Hematological Cancers, 1999-2020. Blood. 2024: 5176 https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2024-204124]

40. Chen Z, Tian Y, Liu J, Ran J, Sun S, Zhao S, Ge Y, Martinez L, Chen X, Cao P. COVID-19 and sepsis-related excess mortality in the United States during the first 3 years: a national-wide time-series study. Am J Epidemiol. 2025: 2219 [PMID: 39479803, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwae411]

41. Oud L, Garza J. The Impact of COVID-19 on Sepsis-Related Mortality in the United States. J Clin Med Res. 2023: 328 [PMID: 37434769, https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr4937]

42. Manchikanti L, Helm Ii S, Benyamin RM, Hirsch JA. A Critical Analysis of Obamacare: Affordable Care or Insurance for Many and Coverage for Few? Pain Physician. 2017: 111 [PMID: 28339427, https://doi.org/10.36076/ppj.2017.138]

43. Cox CE, Wysham NG. Untangling Health Trajectories among Patients with Sepsis. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2015: 796 [PMID: 26075553, https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201503-134ED]

44. Gao S, Wang Y, Yang L, Wang Z, Huang W. Characteristics and clinical subtypes of cancer patients in the intensive care unit: a retrospective observational study for two large databases. Ann Transl Med. 2021: 13 [PMID: 33553306, https://doi.org/10.21037/atm-20-4634]

45. Mottal N, Issa N, Dumas PY, Camou F, Sauvezie M, Gros FX, Cazaubiel T, Mourissoux G, Leroy H, Pigneux A, Guisset O, Leguay T. Reduce Mortality and Morbidity in Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Hyperleukocytosis With Early Admission in Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Analysis. J Hematol. 2020: 109 [PMID: 33224390, https://doi.org/10.14740/jh691]

46. Moody SY, Bell CL, Lindenberger EC, Reid MC. Adaptive Care Planning: A paradigm shift. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024: 337 [PMID: 38193787, https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18731]

47. Garcia-Aguilera MF, Yu-Liu Y, Alexander-Leon H, Fuenmayor-Gonzalez L, Manterola C, Otzen T, Llerena P, Granda P, Navas Hidalgo AD, Changoluisa Aimacana NJ, Llumitasig Vaca BA, Velasco E, Caballero H, Garcia-Mendez N. Mortality in Cancer Patients with Septic Shock in Intensive Care: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Intensive Care Med. 2025: 1193 [PMID: 40953035, https://doi.org/10.1177/08850666251357878]

48. MacPhail A, Dendle C, Slavin M, Weinkove R, Bailey M, Pilcher D, McQuilten Z. Sepsis mortality among patients with haematological malignancy admitted to intensive care 2000-2022: a binational cohort study. Crit Care. 2024: 148 [PMID: 38711155, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-024-04932-0]

49. Junaid A, Shakila Aziz P, Usman S, Lavita K, Muhammad I, Sana Ullah k. Impact of Infections in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Receiving Cytarabine+ Daunorubicin (7+3) Versus Azacitidine and Venetoclax during Induction Chemotherapy. Indus Journal of Bioscience Research. 2025: 190 https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i1.469]

50. Kafazi A, Stylianou C, Zwmas A, Aggeli C, Papadaki E, Stefanitsi P, Apostolopoulou E. Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections Rates in Hematology-Oncology Patients. Journal of Integrative Oncology. 2017: https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6771.1000200]

51. Cossey J, Cote MCB. Evaluation and management of febrile neutropenia in patients with cancer. JAAPA. 2024: 16 [PMID: 38980295, https://doi.org/10.1097/01.JAA.0000000000000054]

52. Shelton BK, Stanik-Hutt J, Kane J, Jones RJ. Implementing the Surviving Sepsis Campaign in an Ambulatory Clinic for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2016: 281 [PMID: 27206294, https://doi.org/10.1188/16.CJON.281-288]

53. Rezel-Potts E, Gulliford M. Electronic Health Records and Antimicrobial Stewardship Research: a Narrative Review. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2022: 1 [PMID: 35891969, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-021-00278-1]

54. Casey JA, Schwartz BS, Stewart WF, Adler NE. Using Electronic Health Records for Population Health Research: A Review of Methods and Applications. Annu Rev Public Health. 2016: 61 [PMID: 26667605, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032315-021353]

55. Perlman SE, McVeigh KH, Newton-Dame R, Thorpe LE, Snell EF, Chernov C, Singer J, Greene CM. Innovations in Population Health Surveillance Using Electronic Health Record Data. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics. 2014: https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v6i1.5123]

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2026 Alyaa Ahmed Ibrahim, Mahmoud Tablawy, Mohamed Fawzi Hemida, Anika Goel, Raveen Mujeeb, Krish Patel, Sahil Jairamani, AbdAllah Dewair, Mirna Hussein, Maryam Saghir, Eshal Saghir , Safeya Fawzi, Ehsanullah Alokozay, Amro Ali