Aim: To study patients with typical community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) admitted to our hospital between 2001 and 2004 in order to analyze the incidence of this disease in our health area during this period.
Methods: A retrospective study was performed of patients with CAP admitted to our hospital from 2001 to 2004. Only those patients who fulfilled the criteria for typical pneumonia of possible bacterial origin based on clinical and radiological features and laboratory data were included. The annual incidence rates of CAP were analyzed using demographic data from our health area and from all children admitted to the infectious diseases unit of our hospital during this period.
Results: During the study period, 569 children were diagnosed with typical CAP: 116 in 2001, 133 in 2002, 154 in 2003 and 166 in 2004. The incidence rate was 1.3 cases/1,000 children under 14 years old/year in 2001, 1.51 in 2002, 1.69 in 2003 and 1.72 in 2004. These findings represent an increment of 25% in the incidence per 1,000/children/year and an increment of 53% in the incidence per 100 children admitted to our unit. Blood cultures were performed before antibiotic therapy was administered in 487 patients and were positive in 22 (4.5%). Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated in 21 patients and Streptococcus pyogenes in one. Chest radiographs revealed lobar consolidation in 95% of the patients and 15 % developed pleural effusion.
Conclusions: Cases of CAP of probable pneumococcal etiology increased in our health area during the study period. The number of complicated cases also increased.