Table 1.
Demographic characteristics and underlying diseases
| Items | Cases (%) |
| Male | 3117 (53.5) |
| Age (years, median, IQR) | 65 (53–78) |
| 14−64 | 2802 (48.1) |
| 65−74 | 1081 (18.5) |
| 75−89 | 1760 (30.2) |
| ≥90 | 185 (3.2) |
| Source of admission (n=5823) | |
| From outpatient department | 4183 (71.8) |
| From emergency room | 1588 (27.3) |
| Transfer from other hospital | 52 (0.9) |
| Days from illness onset to admission (n=5826, median, IQR) |
6.0 (3.0–14.0) |
| Patients who received antibiotics before admission | 2664 (45.7) |
| β-Lactams | 1015 (38.1) |
| Fluoroquinolones | 586 (22.0) |
| Macrolides | 170 (6.4) |
| β-Lactams+fluoroquinolones | 413 (15.5) |
| β-Lactams+macrolides | 201 (7.5) |
| Others | 279 (10.5) |
| Systemic glucocorticosteroids use before admission | 250 (4.3) |
| Underlying diseases | 4219 (72.4) |
| Hypertension | 2053 (35.2) |
| Coronary heart disease | 1163 (20.0) |
| Diabetes | 913 (15.7) |
| Cerebrovascular diseases | 890 (15.3) |
| COPD | 801 (13.7) |
| Bronchiectasis | 629 (10.8) |
| Asthma | 339 (5.8) |
| Malignant solid tumours | 254 (4.4) |
| Congestive heart failure | 202 (3.5) |
| Chronic renal diseases | 201 (3.4) |
| Connective tissue diseases | 110 (1.9) |
| Chronic hepatic diseases | 90 (1.5) |
| Smoking status | |
| Current smokers | 1009 (17.3) |
| Ex-smokers | 590 (10.1) |
| Alcoholism | 407 (7.0) |
| Risk factors for aspiration* | 377 (6.5) |
| History of CAP within 1 year | 368 (6.3) |
| History of vaccination | |
| Influenza vaccine within 1 year | 12 (0.2) |
| Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine within 5 years | 8 (0.1) |
| Risk factors for HCAP according to IDSA/ATS criteria | 868 (14.9) |
| Hospitalised in an acute care hospital for two or more days within 90 days | 404 (6.9) |
| Received recent intravenous antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy or wound care within the past 30 days | 656 (11.3) |
| Attended a hospital or haemodialysis clinic | 36 (0.6) |
| Residence in a nursing home or long-term care facility | 19 (0.3) |
| CURB-65 score (n=5594) | |
| 0 | 2343 (41.9) |
| 1 | 2199 (39.3) |
| 2 | 884 (15.8) |
| 3 | 147 (2.6) |
| 4 | 20 (0.4) |
| 5 | 1 (0.0) |
| PSI risk class (n=3609) | |
| I | 1130 (31.3) |
| II | 904 (25.0) |
| III | 748 (20.7) |
| IV | 646 (17.9) |
| V | 181 (5.0) |
| Shorr Score (n=5650) | |
| 0 | 5084 (90.0) |
| 1 | 541 (9.6) |
| 2 | 23 (0.4) |
| 3 | 2 (0.0) |
| 4 | 0 (0.0) |
| Aliberti Score (n=5828) | |
| Low-risk group | 5226 (89.7) |
| High-risk group | 602 (10.3) |
| Clinical stability on admission† (n=5130) | 1111 (21.7) |
*Risk factors for aspiration included choking, drowning, nasal feeding, pseudobulbar palsy, dementia, coma, poisoning and Parkinson’s disease.
†Clinical stability was defined as satisfying the following at the same time: axillary temperature ≤37.8°C for more than 24 hours; heart rate ≤100 beats/min in resting state; breathing rate ≤24 breaths/min; systolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg; SpO2 ≥90% on room air; ability to maintain oral intake; normal mental status.
CAP, community-acquired pneumonia; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CURB-65, confusion; urea >7 mmol/L, respiratory rate >30 breaths/min, systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure <60 mmHg, age ≥65 years; HCAP, healthcare associated pneumonia; IDSA/ATS, Infectious Diseases Society America/American Thoracic Society; PSI, Pneumonia Severity Index.