Evaluation of epidemiological and clinical features of patients with pneumococcal and legionella pneumonia

Background: Pneumonia is one of the major causes of morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization. It is developed by a variety of organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella spp. In this study, the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with Legionella pneumonia (Legionnaires' disease) and pneumococcal pneumonia were compared. Methods: In this crosssectional study, all patients with pneumonia who were hospitalized in Sina Hospital, Hamedan, Iran, were identified. Using blood, sputum, and urine cultures, the patients infected by Streptococcus pneumonia and Legionella pneumonia were isolated. The two groups were compared in terms of the age, sex, clinical signs, risk factors, severity of the disease (using the CURB65 score), and the outcome of the disease. Data were analyzed using SPSS software at 95% confidence level. Results: A total of 30 patients including 17 (56.67%) patients with pneumococcal pneumonia and 13 (43.33%) patients with Legionella pneumonia were included in the study. In the patients with pneumococcal and Legionella pneumonia, the mean and standard deviation of the age were 58.38 +/- 20.92 and 56.76 +/- 22.49 years, respectively. 23.50% of the patients with pneumococcal pneumonia and 38.50% of the patients with Legionella pneumonia were male (P = 0.376). No statistically significant differences were found between patients with pneumococcal and Legionella pneumonia in terms of clinical symptoms, risk factors, severity of pneumonia based on the CURB65 score, and treatment outcome (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Age and sex distributions of the patients with Legionella and pneumococcal pneumonia were not significantly different. The patients in the two groups were not significantly different in terms of risk factors, clinical symptoms, and disease outcome.