Impact of the lockdown in the pandemic period on admissions due to non-COVID-19 pneumonia: A retrospective, cohort study

ABSTRACT

Aim: The pandemic period has led to social and individual behavioral changes all over the world. In this study, the differences in the admissions of non-coronavirus disease 2019 (non-COVID-19) community-acquired pneumonia cases during the pandemic lockdown period in Turkey were analyzed.Material and Methods: Patients with suspected COVID-19 and under the age of 18 were excluded, and non-COVID-19, hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia cases were included in this retrospective, cohort study. The analyzes were carried out by creating two groups as before the pandemic (March-May 2019) and the lockdown period of the pandemic (March-May 2020). The number of admissions and mortality rates were taken into consideration as primary outcomes.Results: There were 178 cases in the 2019 group and 63 cases in the 2020 group. Gender and age distribution were similar in these two groups. While the rate of intensive care hospitalization was high in the 2020 group, mortality was low (14.3% vs 19.1%);but these differences were not statistically significant. In addition, bilateral infiltration rates were significantly higher in the 2019 group (80.9% vs. 22.2%;p<0.001).Discussion: The low number of admissions during the lockdown period shows that there is awareness of the pandemic in society. Again, it can be said that this closure process plays a role in reducing the transmission of infectious diseases such as pneumonia.