Abstract
Infection due to Legionella pneumophila has been not studied in Colombia, although it is present. The observational, retrospective study in which the incidence of legionellosis in Colombia, 2009-2013, was estimated based on data extracted from the personal health records system (Registro Individual de Prestación de Servicios, RIPS) using the ICD-10 codes A48.1 (Legionnaires' disease) and A48.2 (Pontiac Fever). Using official population estimates of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), crude and adjusted incidence rates were estimated (cases / 100,000 pop). During the period, 206 cases were reported (mean of 41.2 per year) for the cumulated national rate of 0.45 cases / 100,000 pop. The clinical form of legionellosis with the highest incidence rates was the non-pneumonic Legionnaires' disease (0.39 cases / 100,000 pop) with women being the main affected (0.42 cases / 100,000 pop). The territory with the highest incidence rate was Bolivar department (1.94 cases / 100,000 pop), followed by La Guajira (1.7 cases / 100,000 pop). Finally, age groups with the highest morbidity were 0-9.999 years old (1.16 cases / 100,000 pop) and system of identification for social subsidies beneficiaries (SISBEN) category with the highest number of total cases was level one (88 cases). According to these results, we can show that legionellosis in Colombia is more common than it could be thought. Nevertheless, cross-sectional and prospective studies should be conducted in our country in order to improve the knowledge of incidence, prevalence, and burden of disease.
Highlights
Legionellosis is an infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacilli, Legionella pneumophila and other species belonging to the genus Legionella
Social Ministerio de Salud y Protecci (SISPRO) RIPS data used for this study are constituted from confirmed cases, which have been revised in terms of data quality, initially from data from Colombia and later by SISPRO and its Data Cubes system
Of the 206 cases reported here, from Colombia, 118 occurred in municipal urban areas, which could be consistent with data found in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, where in 2007 Legionella infections were detected in urban areas of the metropolitan city [16]
Summary
Legionellosis is an infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacilli, Legionella pneumophila and other species belonging to the genus Legionella. It causes two types of conditions that vary in severity; a mild illness called Pontiac fever and the potentially fatal Legionnaires' disease. Both occur most frequently in elderly patients, people with immunosuppressive conditions as well with the history of a bronchial disease or exposed to various risk factors such as smoking [1,2]. How to cite this article Patiño-Barbosa A, Gil-Restrepo A, Restrepo-Montoya V, et al (March 28, 2017) Is Legionellosis Present and Important in Colombia? An Analyses of Cases from 2009 to 2013.
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