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.

The Burden of Herpes Zoster on Hospital Admissions: A Retrospective Analysis in the Years of 2015–2021 from the Abruzzo Region, Italy

“…In the study period, in Abruzzo, a substantial reduction in HZ-related hospitalization rates was observed, confirming a prior national study [15]. This result could be due to a restriction in hospitalization criteria and to a reduction in hospitalizations for all causes in the period of 2020-2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of a reduced burden of disease, as reported either for infectious diseases [19] or non-communicable diseases [20]. For these reasons, it is important to conduct further studies to evaluate the hospitalization rates after the pandemic.…”

Incidence of Rotavirus-Related Hospitalizations in an Italian Southern Region from 2015 to 2021

“…In fact, infection can be present without diarrhea and may trigger neurological symptoms (such as seizures and epilepsy) and autoimmune diseases (such as diabetes mellitus and celiac disease), among others. These findings need further investigation, and they can offer new clinical perspectives on rotavirus vaccination and new opportunities for public health preventive measures [25,26]. It is well known that infants younger than 2 years of age have an increased risk of seizures associated with fever, so younger infants could also need hospital care for these reasons [26].…”

“…These findings need further investigation, and they can offer new clinical perspectives on rotavirus vaccination and new opportunities for public health preventive measures [25,26]. It is well known that infants younger than 2 years of age have an increased risk of seizures associated with fever, so younger infants could also need hospital care for these reasons [26].…”

Fluorescent and electrochemical detection of nuclease activity associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae using specific oligonucleotide probes

“…Streptococcus pneumoniae ( S. pneumoniae ) is a respiratory pathogen that disproportionately affects young children and the elderly, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality due to high rates of pneumonia, 1 bacteremia, 2 and meningitis. 3 Notably, S. pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia in clinical practice.…”