Decreased number of inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A large multicenter study in Japan

Yan Yan,Kiyohide Tomooka,Toshio Naito,Takeshi Tanigawa

doi:10.1016/j.jiac.2022.01.013

Yan Yan, Kiyohide Tomooka + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiac.2022.01.013

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Journal: Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy	Publication Date: Jan 21, 2022
Citations: 21	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Juntendo University

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the dynamics of many diseases. This study aims to assess how the pandemic affected community-acquired pneumonia admission of all age groups among Japanese hospitals with various size and availability of COVID-19 wards. Our findings revealed a 44%–53% reduction in community-acquired pneumonia admission among 82 hospitals in Japan, from April through September of 2020, compared to the same period of 2019. Decreases were consistently found among hospitals with and without COVID-19 wards. The most significant decrease was found in the age group <20 years old. COVID-19 preventive measures and personal hygiene are considered to be effective measures to prevent the spreading of this disease. As vaccination progresses and the public gradually become less attentive to infection countermeasures, incidence of community-acquired pneumonia may increase in the coming season. Continued monitoring is required.

Highlights

Among respiratory diseases, pneumonia is commonly seen in the elderly and children under 5
Reduction in community-acquired pneumonia incidence has been observed since the start of the pandemic, how this reduction affected the hospitalization of different age groups, including pediatric inpatients, has not yet been studied.[2]
This study was a part of a national project, The COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on the operation of medical facilities and the effectiveness of government supports, commissioned by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan. (JPMH20CA2051) Because this national research project was designed with an aim to investigate the effectiveness of government financial support to hospitals, the research timeframe was established as April to September 2020, using the same period of 2019 for comparison

Summary

Introduction

Pneumonia is commonly seen in the elderly and children under 5. Previous studies have revealed a decrease in incidence of respiratory diseases since the 2020 outbreak of the pandemic in Japan.[1,2,3,4]

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