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. 2023 May 9;12(10):3373.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12103373.

The Epidemiology of Spondylodiscitis in Germany: A Descriptive Report of Incidence Rates, Pathogens, In-Hospital Mortality, and Hospital Stays between 2010 and 2020

Siegmund Lang  1 , Nike Walter  1 , Melanie Schindler  1 , Susanne Baertl  1   2 , Dominik Szymski  1 , Markus Loibl  3 , Volker Alt  1 , Markus Rupp  1
Affiliations

The Epidemiology of Spondylodiscitis in Germany: A Descriptive Report of Incidence Rates, Pathogens, In-Hospital Mortality, and Hospital Stays between 2010 and 2020

Siegmund Lang et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Spondylodiscitis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Understanding its up-to-date epidemiological characteristics and trends is important to improve patient care.

Methods: This study analyzed trends in the incidence rate of spondylodiscitis cases in Germany between 2010 and 2020, as well as the pathogens, in-hospital mortality rate, and length of hospital stay. Data were obtained from the Federal Statistical Office and the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System database. The ICD-10 codes "M46.2-", "M46.3-" and "M46.4-" were evaluated.

Results: The incidence rate of spondylodiscitis increased to 14.4/100,000 inhabitants, with 59.6% cases occurring in patients 70 years or older and affecting mainly the lumbar spine (56.2%). Absolute case numbers increased from 6886 by 41.6% to 9753 in 2020 (IIR = 1.39, 95% CI 0.62-3.08). Staphylococci and Escherichia coli were the most coded pathogens. The proportion of resistant pathogens was 12.9%. In-hospital mortality rates increased to a maximum of 64.7/1000 patients in 2020, intensive care unit treatment was documented in 2697 (27.7%) cases, and the length of stay per case was 22.3 days.

Conclusion: The sharply increasing incidence and in-hospital mortality rate of spondylodiscitis highlights the need for patient-centered therapy to improve patient outcomes, especially in the geriatric, frail population, which is prone to infectious diseases.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; epidemiology; geriatric population; mortality; pathogens; spondylodiscitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age and gender distribution of Spondylodiscitis cases between 2010 through 2020 in absolute numbers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age and gender distribution of spondylodiscitis cases in 2020 in absolute numbers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The distribution of spondylodiscitis by anatomical location of 9753 InEK cases in 2020 (designed with Inkscape and Microsoft PowerPoint).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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