ABSTRACT
Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main cause of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Aim: To describe baseline characteristics, risk factors and clinical outcomes of adult patients hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia. Material and methods: Prospective study of adult patients admitted for a community acquired pneumonia in a clinical hospital. Immune deficient patients and those with a history of a recent hospitalization were excluded. Results: One hundred fifty one immuno-competent patients, aged 16 to 92 years, 58 percent males, were studied. Seventy-five percent had other diseases, 26 percent were admitted to the intensive care unit and 9 percent needed mechanical ventilation. There were no differences in clinical features, ICU admission or hospital length of stay among bacteremic and non-bacteremic patients. Thirty days lethality for bacteremic and non-bacteremic patients was 10.9 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively. The predictive values for lethality of Fine pneumonia severity index and CURB-65 (Confusion, Urea nitrogen, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, 65 years of age and older) had an area under the ROC curve of 0.8 and 0.69, respectively. Multivariate analysis disclosed blood urea nitrogen over 30 mg/ dL (odds ratio (OR), 6.8), need for mechanical ventilation (OR, 7.4) and diastolic blood pressure below 50 mmHg (OR, 3.9), as significant independent predictors of death. Conclusions: Pneumococcal pneumonia was associated with a substantial rate of complications and mortality. Clinical presentation and outcome did not differ significantly among patients with and without bacteremia.