Clinical Citations: History of pneumococcal vaccination predicts better pneumonia outcomes

Previous receipt of the pneumococcal vaccine is associated with improved survival, reduced risk of respiratory failure, and decreased length of stay among patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This finding was reported by Fisman and associates, who evaluated data from 109 community and teaching hospitals.

Out of 62,918 adults hospitalized with CAP, 12% had a record of previous pneumococcal vaccination, 23% were documented as unvaccinated, and the remainder had unknown vaccination status. Patients who had received the pneumococcal vaccine were less likely to die of any cause during hospitalization than were patients who had no record of pneumococcal vaccination, even after adjustment for comorbid illness, age, smoking status, and influenza vaccination status (adjusted odds ratio, 0.5). Patients who had received the pneumococcal vaccine also were less likely to have respiratory or other complications, and they had a shorter median length of hospital stay.

The authors note that their findings provide additional evidence of the health and economic benefits of pneumococcal vaccination and underscore the importance of improving compliance with immunization recommendations.