Some Characteristics of Patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia as they affect Mortality

Abstract

There is a dearth of studies relating the information from the history of patients with community-acquired pneumonia to the mortality of the disease. The relationship between age, sex, occupation, marital status, smoking history, alcohol use, concomitant COPD / bronchial asthma, source of referral and the mortality of patients with community-acquired pneumonia was retrospectively studied. The age group with the highest mortality frequency is 61-80 years. No major sex difference was found in mortality. The occupations with the highest frequencies of mortality are trading, schooling, and farming, while marital status does not seem to affect mortality. One out of 6 (16.7%) currently smoking and one of the 2 ex-smokers died (50 %). All 10 patients who were current alcohol users were discharged (100% survival). One of the 2 patients with concomitant COPD (50%) died, while all the 3 with bronchial asthma were discharged. The source of referral does not seem to affect mortality. Further studies are needed to determine the contribution of factors such as smoking and alcohol to mortality in community-acquired pneumonia patients

Keywords: Community-Acquired pneumonia, Mortality, Smoking, Alcohol, COPD, Age, Sex.

Nigerian Hospital Practice Vol. 2 (4) 2008: pp. 85-87