Abstract
IntroductionJapan experienced a heavy rainfall event from June 28 to July 8, 2018, and many casualties were caused by both heavy rainfall and flooding. Few studies have investigated patients’ characteristics and the causative pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia before and after heavy rainfall events. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the causative pathogens and clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia before and after the heavy rainfall event using prospective cohort data. MethodsThe study was divided into two periods: July to November 2013–2017 (before heavy rainfall) and July to November 2018 (after heavy rainfall). The patients’ clinical characteristics and causative pathogens before and after the heavy rainfall were investigated. Regarding the causative pathogens, adjustments were made for precipitation and seasonal patterns. ResultsThere were no significant differences in the number and clinical characteristics of patients before and after heavy rainfall. However, the frequency of Legionella pneumonia was significantly higher after than before the heavy rainfall event (8.9% vs 3.0%, P = 0.02) and remained significant after adjusting for precipitation and season. Three of 7 Legionella pneumonia patients engaged in reconstruction work and 2 Legionella pneumonia patients had soil exposure. ConclusionsAn increased risk of Legionella pneumonia after not only rainfall and serious flooding, but also following recovery work or soil exposure should be considered.
Highlights
Japan experienced a heavy rainfall event from June 28 to July 8, 2018, and many casualties were caused by both heavy rainfall and flooding
The number of patients hospitalised with pneumonia is much higher than that of patients hospitalised with other respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer [1]
There were no significant differences in the number of admissions and clinical characteristics pre- and post-disaster
Summary
Japan experienced a heavy rainfall event from June 28 to July 8, 2018, and many casualties were caused by both heavy rainfall and flooding. Few studies have investigated patients’ characteristics and causative pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia before and after heavy rainfall events. Regarding the aetiology of pneumonia, the rate of Haemophilus influenzae infection was significantly higher after tsunami and earthquake disasters [7]. Both contact with floodwaters and post-flooding cleaning were reported to increase the risk of respiratory infections [4]. Western Japan experienced a heavy rainfall event from June 28 to July 8, 2018 This event was called the “west Japan heavy rainfall,” and it caused significant flood damage in Kurashiki city, where our hospital is located. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of CAP and any differences in causative pathogens before and after the west Japan heavy rainfall event using a prospective cohort database
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