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Impact of Early Antifungal Therapy in ICU Patients with High Candida Scores
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Hossein Karimi dokht   , Mahtab Noorifard |
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Abstract: (55 Views) |
Introduction:
Invasive fungal infections, particularly those caused by Candida species, are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients, especially those admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Delays in treatment lead to poor clinical outcomes. The Candida score is a predictive tool developed to identify high-risk patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical prognosis of ICU patients with sepsis and a Candida score greater than 3 who received early antifungal treatment. Specifically, it focused on assessing changes in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores on days 1, 3, and 7 of therapy to determine the impact of early intervention on organ function.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was performed at Imam Reza Hospital in 2016. Thirty ICU patients with sepsis and a Candida score above 3 were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included hematologic malignancies and neutropenia. Demographic data, reasons for ICU admission, and SOFA scores were collected from patient files. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-tests with significance set at p<0.05.
Results:
The mean age of the patients was 62.06±18.20 years. Pneumonia was the most common reason for ICU admission (33.3%), followed by cerebrovascular accident (30%). The SOFA scores showed a statistically significant decrease from Day 1 (mean 12.23±2.62) to Day 3 (10.70±2.08), and further to Day 7 (9.06±2.05), showing marked clinical improvement. All pairwise comparisons between days were statistically significant (p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
Early antifungal treatment in critically ill patients with high Candida scores leads to remarkable improvements in organ function, as evidenced by reduced SOFA scores.
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Article number: 3 |
| Keywords: Candida score, ICU, invasive candidiasis, antifungal therapy, SOFA score, prognosis |
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Full-Text [PDF 245 kb]
(67 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/08/8 | Accepted: 2025/11/14 | Published: 2026/02/5
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