Comparison of hospital admissions in people with bronchiectasis between the covid-19 pandemic (2020) and pre-pandemic period (2019)

Abstract

<b>Objective:</b> To analyse whether the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) resulted in differences in the characteristics of hospital admissions for a respiratory infection in adults with bronchiectasis compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. <b>Methods:</b> An observational, retrospective study enrolling all adults admitted to the hospital between Jan 2009 and Dec 2020 for a respiratory infection with a computed-tomography-confirmed bronchiectasis. Admissions for COVID-19 were excluded. Sociodemographic data, clinical data and admission characteristics were compared between pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic (2020) period. <b>Results:</b> In 2019, 35 patients were admitted with a mean age of 77y (11), classified the 60% of them as severe according to the Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI). Three of these patients had to be readmitted in the same year. During this period, the proportion of admissions tested for viral infection was 28% and for bacterial infection was 72% of hospitalizations. A total of 25 patients were admitted in 2020, with a mean age of 74y (12), being the 76% severe. Readmissions in the same period were observed in four of these patients. Of the admissions, 57% were tested for viral infection and 73% for bacterial infection. The only difference observed for admission characteristics between both periods was the number of test for virus detection (11 (28%) in 2019 <i>vs.</i> 19 (57%) in 2020; p=0.02) (table 1). <b>Conclusions:</b> The number of viral infection test seems to increase during the pandemic period in comparison with pre-pandemic period during admissions for an exacerbation in adult patients with bronchiectasis.