The Burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae-Related Admissions and In-Hospital Mortality: A Retrospective Observational Study between the Years 2015 and 2022 from a Southern Italian Province

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) has high worldwide incidence and related morbidity and mortality, particularly among children and geriatric patients. SP infection could manifest with pneumonia, bacteremia, sepsis, meningitis, and osteomyelitis. This was a retrospective study aimed at evaluating the incidence, comorbidities, and factors associated with in-hospital mortality of pneumococcal disease-related hospitalization in a province in southern Italy from the years 2015 to 2022. This study was performed in the Local Health Authority (LHA) of Pescara. Data were collected from hospital discharge records (HDRs): this database is composed of 288,110 discharge records from LHA Pescara’s hospitals from 2015 to 2022. Streptococcus Pneumoniae-related hospitalizations were about 5% of the hospitalizations; 67% of these were without comorbidities; 21% were with one comorbidity; and 13% were with two or more comorbidities. Regarding mortality of SP infection, the most affected age group was older people, with the percentage of cases among the over-65s being more than 50% compared to the other age groups. HDRs represent a valid and useful epidemiological tool for evaluating the direct impact of pneumococcal disease on the population and also indirectly for evaluating the effectiveness of vaccination strategies and directing them.