People who are hospitalized with cirrhosis have a high rate of multidrug-resistant infections, MedPage Today reports.

Researchers from 46 medical sites enrolled 1,302 people in a study of individuals hospitalized with cirrhosis. The average age of the participants was 57, and the majority had alcohol-driven cirrhosis. Sixty-nine percent were men. Forty-three percent were in Europe, 32 percent in Asia and 25 percent in North America.

Findings were presented at the 52nd International Liver Congress in Paris.

Thirty-four percent of the overall study cohort had multidrug-resistant infections. Eight percent harbored bacteria demonstrating extensive resistance to antibiotics. The proportions of study members with such infections ranged from 18 percent at the North American sites to 29 to 32 percent at European, South American and non-Indian Asian sites to 73 percent at Indian sites.

Risk factors for multidrug-resistant infections included previous treatment with antibiotics and exposure to health care settings.

A total of 19.9 percent of the study participants died.

To read the MedPage Today article, click here.