While incidence of pneumococcal disease decreased or increased slightly between 2002 and 2011, the baseline health status of those with serious pneumococcal infections worsened over the study period, according to a study published in Infectious Diseases and Therapy.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study in older patients — aged 50 years and older — with positive pneumococcal cultures between 2002 and 2011. They identified 45,983 unique episodes of pneumococcal disease.
The study found that incidence of disease decreased by 3.5 percent per year in outpatients and increased by 0.2 percent per year in inpatients. In 2011, the outpatient incidence was 2.6 infections per 100,000 clinic visits or hospitalizations and inpatient incidence was 328.1 infections per 100,000 hospitalizations. Among inpatients with serious infections, chronic disease risk factors for pneumococcal disease increased significantly each year.
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