Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) affects over four million persons annually, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Although numerous studies have assessed short-term mortality of Pneumonia, there have been few studies on the long-term mortality of this illness, improved understanding of the long-term mortality of patients with CAP is needed so physicians have accurate knowledge upon which to base treatment decisions and for discussions with patients and families. In this study, we wish to build upon the work of the Pneumonia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) cohort study to improve our understanding of the long-term mortality of patients with CAP. The Pneumonia PORT cohort study was a 29-month, prospective, multi-center of 2287 patients who were followed for up to 90-days post-diagnosis. Using the National Death Index and death certificate data from the Nova Scotia Department of Vital Statistics, we will obtain mortality information five years after the initial diagnosis of CAP. We hypothesize that decreased functional status, age, and burden of comorbid illness are independent predictors of long-term mortality of patients with CAP. We will use univariate and multivariate Cox's proportional hazard modeling to determine the independent variables associated with long-term mortality. This study will provide significant insights into the long-term prognosis of patients with CAP.
| Jasti, Harish; Mortensen, Eric M; Obrosky, David Scott et al. (2008) Causes and risk factors for rehospitalization of patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Clin Infect Dis 46:550-6 |
