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Akinyemi O, Fasokun M, Odusanya E, Weldeslase T, Omokhodion O, Michael M, Hughes K. The relationship between neighborhood economic deprivation and community-acquired pneumonia related admissions in Maryland. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1412671. [PMID: 39091520 PMCID: PMC11291354 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1412671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major health concern in the United States (US), with its incidence, severity, and outcomes influenced by social determinants of health, including socioeconomic status. The impact of neighborhood socioeconomic status, as measured by the Distressed Communities Index (DCI), on CAP-related admissions remains understudied in the literature. Objective To determine the independent association between DCI and CAP-related admissions in Maryland. Methods We conducted a retrospective study using the Maryland State Inpatient Database (SID) to collate data on CAP-related admissions from January 2018 to December 2020. The study included adults aged 18-85 years. We explored the independent association between community-level economic deprivation based on DCI quintiles and CAP-related admissions, adjusting for significant covariates. Results In the study period, 61,467 cases of CAP-related admissions were identified. The patients were predominantly White (49.7%) and female (52.4%), with 48.6% being over 65 years old. A substantive association was found between the DCI and CAP-related admissions. Compared to prosperous neighborhoods, patients living in economically deprived communities had 43% increased odds of CAP-related admissions. Conclusion Residents of the poorest neighborhoods in Maryland have the highest risk of CAP-related admissions, emphasizing the need to develop effective public health strategies beneficial to the at-risk patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwasegun Akinyemi
- Department of Surgery Outcomes Research Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Mojisola Fasokun
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Eunice Odusanya
- Department of Surgery Outcomes Research Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Terhas Weldeslase
- Department of Surgery Outcomes Research Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Ofure Omokhodion
- Department of Epidemiology, John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Miriam Michael
- Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Kakra Hughes
- Department of Surgery, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States
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Bloomgarden Z. Risks and benefits of vaccines in diabetes. J Diabetes 2023; 15:806-807. [PMID: 37752060 PMCID: PMC10590674 DOI: 10.1111/1753-0407.13481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Bloomgarden
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone DiseaseIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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Li HL, Tse YK, Chandramouli C, Hon NWL, Cheung CL, Lam LY, Wu M, Huang JY, Yu SY, Leung KL, Fei Y, Feng Q, Ren Q, Cheung BMY, Tse HF, Verma S, Lam CSP, Yiu KH. Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and the Risk of Pneumonia and Septic Shock. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022; 107:3442-3451. [PMID: 36181458 PMCID: PMC9693836 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgac558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) have an increased risk of pneumonia and septic shock. Traditional glucose-lowering drugs have recently been found to be associated with a higher risk of infections. It remains unclear whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), which have pleiotropic/anti-inflammatory effects, may reduce the risk of pneumonia and septic shock in DM. METHODS MEDLINE, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception up to May 19, 2022, for randomized, placebo-controlled trials of SGLT2i that included patients with DM and reported outcomes of interest (pneumonia and/or septic shock). Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment (using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool) were conducted by independent authors. A fixed-effects model was used to pool the relative risk (RRs) and 95% CI across trials. RESULTS Out of 4568 citations, 26 trials with a total of 59 264 patients (1.9% developed pneumonia and 0.2% developed septic shock) were included. Compared with placebo, SGLT2is significantly reduced the risk of pneumonia (pooled RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78-0.98) and septic shock (pooled RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44-0.95). There was no significant heterogeneity of effect size among trials. Subgroup analyses according to the type of SGLT2i used, baseline comorbidities, glycemic control, duration of DM, and trial follow-up showed consistent results without evidence of significant treatment-by-subgroup heterogeneity (all Pheterogeneity > .10). CONCLUSION Among DM patients, SGLT2is reduced the risk of pneumonia and septic shock compared with placebo. Our findings should be viewed as hypothesis generating, with concepts requiring validation in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang-Long Li
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Yi-Kei Tse
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Chanchal Chandramouli
- National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore 169609, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
| | - Nicole Wing-Lam Hon
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Ching-Lung Cheung
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Lok-Yee Lam
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Meizhen Wu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Jia-Yi Huang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Si-Yeung Yu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Ka-Lam Leung
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Yue Fei
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Qi Feng
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Qingwen Ren
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Bernard M Y Cheung
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Hung-Fat Tse
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Subodh Verma
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Carolyn S P Lam
- National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore 169609, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen 9713 GZ, The Netherlands
| | - Kai-Hang Yiu
- Correspondence: Kai-Hang Yiu, MD, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Room 1929B/K1931, Block K, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong 999077, China.
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Lee GC, Moreira AG, Hinojosa C, Benavides R, Winter C, Anderson AC, Chen CJ, Borsa N, Hastings G, Black CA, Bandy SM, Shaffer A, Restrepo MI, Ahuja SK. Metformin Attenuates Inflammatory Responses and Enhances Antibody Production in an Acute Pneumonia Model of Streptococcus pneumoniae. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2022; 3:736835. [PMID: 35821804 PMCID: PMC9261336 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2022.736835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Metformin may potentially reverse various age-related conditions; however, it is unclear whether metformin can also mitigate or delay the deterioration of immunological resilience that occurs in the context of infections that are commonly observed in older persons. We examined whether metformin promotes the preservation of immunological resilience in an acute S. pneumoniae (SPN) infection challenge in young adult mice. Mice were fed metformin (MET-alone) or standard chow (controls-alone) for 10 weeks prior to receiving intratracheal inoculation of SPN. A subset of each diet group received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine at week 6 (MET + PCV and control + PCV). Compared to controls-alone, MET-alone had significantly less infection-associated morbidity and attenuated inflammatory responses during acute SPN infection. Metformin lowered the expression of genes in the lungs related to inflammation as well as shorter lifespan in humans. This was accompanied by significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL6). MET + PCV vs. control + PCV manifested enhanced SPN anticapsular IgM and IgG levels. The levels of SPN IgM production negatively correlated with expression levels of genes linked to intestinal epithelial structure among MET + PCV vs. control + PCV groups. Correspondingly, the gut microbial composition of metformin-fed mice had a significantly higher abundance in the Verrucomicrobia, Akkermansia muciniphila, a species previously associated with beneficial effects on intestinal integrity and longevity. Together, these findings indicate metformin's immunoprotective potential to protect against infection-associated declines in immunologic resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace C. Lee
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Pharmacotherapy Education and Research Center, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- The Foundation for Advancing Veterans’ Health Research, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Veterans Administration Research Center for AIDS and HIV-1 Infection and Center for Personalized Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Alvaro G. Moreira
- Veterans Administration Research Center for AIDS and HIV-1 Infection and Center for Personalized Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Cecilia Hinojosa
- Department Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Raymond Benavides
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Pharmacotherapy Education and Research Center, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Caitlyn Winter
- The Foundation for Advancing Veterans’ Health Research, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Veterans Administration Research Center for AIDS and HIV-1 Infection and Center for Personalized Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Audrey C. Anderson
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Chang-Jui Chen
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Noemi Borsa
- Department Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Internal Medicine Department, Respiratory Unit and Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabrielyd Hastings
- Department Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Cody A. Black
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Pharmacotherapy Education and Research Center, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Sarah M. Bandy
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Pharmacotherapy Education and Research Center, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Alexander Shaffer
- Department Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Marcos I. Restrepo
- Department Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Sunil K. Ahuja
- Veterans Administration Research Center for AIDS and HIV-1 Infection and Center for Personalized Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Qiao J, Tan Z, Xu X, Zhou Y, Wang W, Luo J, Fan J, Pan Q, Guo L. Medications and medical costs for diabetes patients with or without chronic respiratory disease in Beijing, China: A retrospective study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:980982. [PMID: 36093107 PMCID: PMC9458880 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.980982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS The cost of drug regimens prescribed to Chinese patients has not been evaluated. This study aims to evaluate the medical costs and hypoglycemic agents for diabetes mellitus patients with or without chronic respiratory disease in Beijing, and to investigate the changes in the costs and number of antidiabetic medications used for diabetes patients with chronic respiratory disease from 2016 to 2018. METHODS This observational, retrospective study included diabetes patients with outpatient medication records from Beijing Medical Insurance between 2016 and 2018. The medications, including hypoglycemic and nonhypoglycemic drugs, insulin dosage, comorbidities, diabetes-related complications, treatment strategies, and annual medical costs, were recorded. RESULTS This study included 2,853,036 diabetes patients from 2016 to 2018. About 18.95%-20.53% of patients with chronic respiratory disease were predominantly distributed among those aged 45-84 years (88.7%-89.1%). Diabetes patients with chronic respiratory disease used more medications (4.48 ± 2.41 vs. 3.76 ± 2.33) and had higher total annual drug costs (¥12,286 ± 10,385 vs. ¥9700 ± 9202) to treat more comorbidities (2.52 ± 1.53 vs. 2.05 ± 1.85) than those without chronic respiratory disease (p <.0001, respectively). From 2016 to 2018, diabetes patients with chronic respiratory disease had a 4.2% increase in medication, a 1.9% decrease in comorbidities, and a 5.4% decrease in total annual drug costs. CONCLUSIONS In summary, diabetes patients with chronic respiratory disease had more comorbidities, required more hypoglycemic drugs, and had higher medical costs. During 2016-2018, diabetes patients with chronic respiratory disease used more medications and spent less money on medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingtao Qiao
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Tan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomao Xu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weihao Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingyi Luo
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingwen Fan
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Pan
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Lixin Guo, ; Qi Pan,
| | - Lixin Guo
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Lixin Guo, ; Qi Pan,
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Chen Z, Song T, Li Y, Luo L, Li Z, Zhao Q. The pulmonary infection risk factors in long-term bedridden patients: a meta-analysis. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:11014-11025. [PMID: 34786040 PMCID: PMC8581881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to review the pulmonary infection risk factors in long-term bedridden patients. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and the China Biomedical Literature Service System databases were searched to retrieve articles on the clinical risk factors, from database establishment to July 31, 2020. Two researchers independently screened the search results, evaluated the quality of the studies using NOS criteria, and extracted the data. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. A total of 13 articles including 10,182 patients were included. The statistically significant risk factors included age (OR=1.82), diabetes (OR=2.15), hormones (OR=3.14), consciousness disorders (OR=3.83), BMI<18.5 kg/m2 (OR=1.57), antibiotics (OR=2.21), smoking history (OR=1.68), nasal-feeding (OR=4.64), ventilator use (OR=5.95), invasive operations (OR=5.04), hospitalization times (OR=3.16), and stay-in-bed times (OR=2.69). Therefore, according to the OR values, age, a BMI<18.5 kg/m2, and smoking history were low risk-factors (2≥OR>1). Diabetes, antibiotics, and stay-in-bed times were medium risk-factors (3≥OR>2). Hormone levels, consciousness disorders, nasal-feeding, ventilator use, invasive operations, and hospitalization times were high risk-factors (OR>3). In conclusion, the low risk-factors (age, BMI, smoking history), the medium risk-factors (diabetes, antibiotics, stay-in-bed length), and especially the high risk-factors (hormones, consciousness disorders, nasal-feeding, ventilator use, invasive operations, hospitalization times) deserve more attention for preventing pulmonary infections in long-term bedridden patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Chen
- Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing 400016, China
| | - Tianshuang Song
- Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing 400016, China
| | - Yilan Li
- Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing 400016, China
| | - Ling Luo
- Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing 400016, China
| | - Ziqiong Li
- Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing 400016, China
| | - Qinghua Zhao
- Nursing Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityChongqing 400016, China
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Lourdesamy Anthony AI, Zam Z, Hussin N. A Hospital-based Study on the Local Epidemiology of Pneumonia Including the Contribution of Legionella Pneumonia. Malays J Med Sci 2021; 27:79-88. [PMID: 33447136 PMCID: PMC7785258 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2020.27.6.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In real-life practice, only 20% of hospitalised pneumonia cases have an identified etiology. The usage of Legionella urine antigen test (LUAT) in developed nations revolutionised case detection rates. Accordingly, our objectives were to study the microbiological etiology for hospitalised pneumonia patients and the diagnosis of Legionella pneumonia. Methods A prospective, observational single-centre study was conducted where all 504 cases that were consecutively admitted for pneumonia were enrolled. Blood and sputum samples obtained were used to identify pathogens using standard microbiological culture methods. The urine samples collected were tested using the ImmunocatchTMLegionella immunochromatographic (ICT) urine antigen test. Results A microbiological diagnosis was only achieved in 104 cases (20.6%) and a Gram-negative infection predominance was observed. Culture-positive cases required longer hospitalisation (8.46 days versus 5.53 days; P < 0.001) and the higher usage of antipseudomonal antibiotics (23.1% versus 8.3%; P < 0.001). Only 3 cases (0.6%) were diagnosed with Legionella pneumonia. Conclusion The local pathogen distribution is diverse compared to other regions. Culture-negative pneumonia is common and significantly differs from culture-positive pneumonia. Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 is not a common cause of pneumonia and LUAT did not help demystify the cause of culture-negative pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zarifah Zam
- Microbiology Unit, Hospital Taiping, Taiping, Malaysia
| | - Narwani Hussin
- Clinical Research Centre, Hospital Taiping, Taiping, Malaysia
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