Factors affecting treatment success in community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Background/aim: Treatment failure in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia is a major cause of mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting treatment success in community-acquired pneumonia.

Materials and methods: A total of 537 patients (mean age: 66.1 ± 15.8 years, 365 males) registered to the Turkish Thoracic Society Pneumonia Database were analyzed. Of these, clinical improvement or cure, defined as treatment success, was achieved in 477, whereas 60 patients had treatment failure and/or died.

Results: Lower numbers of neutrophils (5989.9 ± 6237.3 vs. 8495.6 ± 7279.5/mm³), higher blood urea levels (66.1 ± 42.1 vs. 51.2 ± 38.2 mg/dL), higher Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) scores (123.3 ± 42.6 vs. 96.3 ± 32.9), higher CURB-65 scores (2.7 ± 1.2 vs. 2.2 ± 0.9), lower PaO₂/FiO₂ ratios (216.3 ± 86.8 vs. 269.9 ± 65.6), and the presence of multilobar (33.3% vs. 16.4%) and bilateral (41.7% vs. 18.9%) radiologic infiltrates were related to treatment failure. The PSI score and PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio were independent parameters affecting treatment results in multivariate linear regression analysis (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The risk of treatment failure is high in patients with severe pneumonia and with respiratory failure. Effective treatment and close monitoring are required for these cases.

Keywords: Community-acquired pneumonia; PaO 2 /FiO 2; pneumonia severity index; treatment failure,.