The following is a summary of “Elixhauser comorbidity method in predicting death of Spanish inpatients with asplenia and pneumococcal pneumonia,” published in the June 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Gea-Izquierdo, et al.

Despite causing many symptoms, Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria are the well-known culprit behind the severe lung infection pneumococcal pneumonia (PP).

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating how comorbidity factors affected mortality in asplenic patients with PP.

They analyzed discharge reports from the Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS) to study patients with asplenia and PP (1997 to 2021). The Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) was computed to forecast in-hospital mortality (IHM).

The results showed 97,922 patients diagnosed with asplenia and 381 cases of PP.  Men averaged 63.87 years of age, while women averaged 65.99 years. Throughout the study period, the ECI was higher in splenectomized patients compared to non-splenectomized, with men exhibiting a greater mean ECI than women. An association was observed between ECI, splenectomy, age group, sex, PP, and increased mortality (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97–0.99; P<0.001). From 1997–2021, IHM rose progressively with the number of comorbidities and index scores.

Investigators concluded that asplenia is a significant risk factor for hospitalization in Spain, and the presence of comorbidities further elevates mortality rates in patients with PP.

Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-09517-4