Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Feb;153(2):427-437.
doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2017.09.041. Epub 2017 Oct 7.

Burden of Pneumonia-Associated Hospitalizations: United States, 2001-2014

Brandon H Hayes  1 , Dana L Haberling  2 , Jordan L Kennedy  2 , Jay K Varma  3 , Alicia M Fry  4 , Neil M Vora  5
Affiliations

Burden of Pneumonia-Associated Hospitalizations: United States, 2001-2014

Brandon H Hayes et al. Chest. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Background: The epidemiology of pneumonia has likely evolved in recent years, reflecting an aging population, changes in population immunity, and socioeconomic disparities.

Methods: Using the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample, estimated numbers and rates of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations for 2001-2014 were calculated. A pneumonia-associated hospitalization was defined as one in which the discharge record listed a principal diagnosis of pneumonia or a secondary diagnosis of pneumonia if the principal diagnosis was respiratory failure or sepsis.

Results: There were an estimated 20,361,181 (SE, 95,601) pneumonia-associated hospitalizations in the United States during 2001-2014 (average annual age-adjusted pneumonia-associated hospitalization rate of 464.8 per 100,000 population [95% CI, 462.5-467.1]). The average annual age-adjusted pneumonia-associated hospitalization rate decreased over the study period (P < .0001). In-hospital death occurred in 7.4% (SE, 0.03) of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations. Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Natives and non-Hispanic blacks had the highest average annual age-adjusted rates of pneumonia-associated hospitalization of all race/ethnicities at 439.2 (95% CI, 415.9-462.5) and 438.6 (95% CI, 432.5-444.7) per 100,000 population, respectively. During 2001-2014, the proportion of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations colisting an immunocompromising condition increased from 18.7% (SE, 0.2) in 2001 to 29.9% (SE, 0.2) in 2014. Total charges for pneumonia-associated hospitalizations in 2014 were over $84 billion.

Conclusions: Pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Differences in rates and outcomes of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations between sociodemographic groups warrant further investigation. The immunocompromised population has emerged as a group experiencing a disproportionate burden of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations.

Keywords: epidemiology; pneumonia; respiratory failure; sepsis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1-
Figure 1-
Annual age-adjusted rates of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations: United States, 2001–2014.
Figure 2-
Figure 2-
Proportion of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations colisting an immunocompromising condition: United States, 2001–2014.
Figure 3-
Figure 3-
A, Age-adjusted rate of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations by month of admission: United States, 2001–2014. B, Proportion of pneumonia-associated hospitalizations with in-hospital death by month of admission: United States, 2001–2014
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Center for Health Statistics. Leading Causes of Death. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm. Last updated March 17, 2017. Accessed October 10, 2016.
    1. Jain S, Self WH, Wunderink RG, et al. Community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization among U.S. adults. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(5): 415–427. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bartlett JG. Diagnostic tests for agents of community-acquired pneumonia. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(suppl 4):S296–S304. - PubMed
    1. Hussey P, Anderson G, Berthelot JM, et al. Trends in socioeconomic disparities in health care quality in four countries. Int J Qual Health Care. 2008;20(1):53–61. - PubMed
    1. Singh GK, Hiatt RA. Trends and disparities in socioeconomic and behavioural characteristics, life expectancy, and cause-specific mortality of native-born and foreign-born populations in the United States, 1979–2003. Int J Epidemiol. 2006;35(4): 903–919. - PubMed