Duration of Stay of Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Influenza Season

OBJECTIVES: There is a seasonal variation in the incidence of some infectious diseases. We analyzed the impact of influenza season (IS) on duration of stay (DOS) and some other characteristics of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In our retrospective cohort study, we analyzed data of 369 patients with CAP. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 65.5 +/- 16.69 years, and 267 (72.4%) patients were male. There was no difference between patients with CAP admitted to hospital and intensive care unit during IS and non-influenza season (NIS) with respect to age, mortality, and DOS. There was no difference in leukocyte and neutrophil counts, C-reactive protein level, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in different seasons. Although most comorbid disease rates were similar, only cancer, especially lung cancer, was more prevalent in NIS. Bilateral CAP confirmed using thorax computed tomography was more frequent in IS. CONCLUSION: Although more patients with bilateral pneumonias were hospitalized in IS, DOS was not different between IS and NIS.