Search

Pneumococcal infections are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in Chronic Lung Diseases. However, exacerbations, which make the treatment of diseases very difficult, and corticosteroids used during treatment carry a great risk of pneumococcal infection and adversely affect the treatment. The most rational way to reduce the negative impact of pneumococcal infections on the clinical and economic burden of Chronic Lung Diseases is vaccination of the risky population. Although, vaccination recommendations are well defined, recommended by national and international guidelines and are paid by health authorities, in Turkey, vaccination rates in adults with chronic lung disease is far below the expected. Since physicians are considered to be the most important and reliable resource that can guide their patients in vaccination, applying pneumococcal vaccination routinely in all patients with chronic lung diagnosis and making it a part of daily practice will greatly contribute to reducing the clinical and economic burden of pneumococcal infections in these patients. In this review, the effects of pneumococcal diseases on chronic lung diseases, the risk and clinical burden of pneumococcal diseases in chronic lung diseases are discussed in the light of guidelines and current literature, and the importance of protection from pneumonia in these patients is emphasized. In addition to general information and efficacy data about pneumococcal vaccines available in our country, application methods and access routes to vaccines are also described.

Background: Previous reports have shown that vaccination rates of adult at-risk populations are low in Turkey. There are differing reports with regards to the effectiveness of the influenza and the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) on the clinical outcomes of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The purpose of this study was to analyze the influenza (FV) and pneumococcal vaccination (PV) status, the factors that influence the receipt of influenza/pneumococcal vaccine and the effects of prior vaccination on the clinical outcomes in adults hospitalized with CAP., Patients and Methods: Patients hospitalized with CAP between March 2009 and October 2013 and registered at the web-based Turkish Thoracic Society Pneumonia Database (TURCAP) were included in this multicentric, observational study. Of a total of 787 cases, data were analyzed for 466 patients for whom self-reported information on PV and FV was available., Results: In this adult population with CAP, the vaccination rate with both the pneumococcal and influenza vaccines was found to be 6%. Prior FV was found to be the sole variable that was associated with the receipt of PV [OR 17.8, 95% CI (25-75:8.56-37.01), p < 0.001]. Conversely, being vaccinated with PPSV23 was the only predictor of receipt of FV [OR 18.1, 95% CI (25 - 75:8.75 - 37.83), p < 0.001]. Compared to the unvaccinated cases, the chest radiograms of the vaccinated patients revealed less consolidation. The latter also reported fatigue, muscle pain and gastrointestinal symptoms less frequently. Although there was a trend for lower 30-day mortality and for lower rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, these did not reach statistical significance. A pneumonia severity index (PSI) score ≥ 90, CURB-65 score ≥3 and multilobar involvement, but not the vaccination status, were identified as independent determinants of ICU admission., Conclusions: This study showed that, among patients hospitalized with CAP, the FV and/or PV rates are low. Prior vaccination does not appear to significantly affect the clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: There is a need to increase patient and clinician awareness on the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination in at-risk groups. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of reminders for physicians and patients using the vaccination tracking system created in the hospital information management system (HIMS) on the vaccination rate, and the effect of pneumococcal vaccination on pneumonia-related hospitalization and mortality over a 12-month period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study was undertaken during a 2-year period in 3 tertiary care centers. Patients were followed up for 12 months following vaccination, and hospital admissions and mortality were recorded via HIMS. During the campaign, HIMS transmitted pneumococcal immunization reminder messages in accordance with guideline recommendations to physicians' computers and patients' mobile phones. Educational posters on pneumococcal vaccination were posted in outpatient clinics. Regular seminars on the evidence for pneumococcal vaccination were organized. All patients who were hospitalized during the follow-up period for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, lung cancer, or pneumonia were analyzed in relation to their vaccination history regarding clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 29 530 patients were included in the study. During the study period, the annual vaccination rate increased by 74.4% and reached 4.8% in 3 hospitals (P = .001). The rates were 3.9% in patients older than 65 years without comorbidities and 5.2% in those with COPD and asthma (P = .002). In pneumococcal vaccine recipients, pneumonia-related hospital mortality was lower (relative risk (RR) = 0.19, CI 0.09-0.35, P < .001). CONCLUSION: It is possible to raise the rate of pneumococcal vaccination through awareness campaigns. Individuals with COPD and asthma are more willing to receive pneumococcal vaccination. Among patients hospitalized for pneumonia, prior pneumococcal vaccination is associated with lower mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: It is known that inpatient hospital costs are much higher than outpatient services. It was aimed to investigate the effect of pneumococcal vaccination on hospitalizations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The direct hospitalization costs, length of stay, and factors of the vaccinated and unvaccinated patients in the same hospital during the 12-month follow-up of the patients who received pneumococcal vaccine between November 15, 2018, and November 15, 2020, in 3 chest diseases and thoracic surgery training and research hospitals were analyzed by obtaining Hospital Information Management System records. Data were collected with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23 program (IBM Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA), and statistical evaluation was made. RESULTS: The mean age of 800 hospitalized patients, of whom 400 were unvaccinated and 400 were vaccinated, was 68.48 ± 11.97. There was no significant difference in the mean age of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients (P > .05). Five hundred sixty-six patients (70.8%) were aged 65 and over. Two hundred eighty (51.2%) of men were vaccinated and 120 (47.2%) of women were vaccinated, and there was no significant difference (P > .05). The mean hospital stay of these patients was 11.01 days, and those in the vaccinated group had an average mean hospital stay of 9.11 days and those in the unvaccinated group had a mean hospital stay less than 12.91 days (P < .001). Total 1-year hospitalization costs were $501.653.53 and the cost per person was calculated as $627.07. The cost per capita for the vaccinated group was $550.52, which was lower than the average cost of the unvaccinated group ($703.62) (P < .05). When comparing the status of being vaccinated, comorbidity, mortality, mean length of stay, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart disease were found to be statistically significant (P < .05). CONCLUSION: In our study, it was revealed that vaccination of patients hospitalized in chest disease hospitals with the pneumococcal vaccine reduced the average length of hospital stay by 41.7% and the cost of hospitalization by 27.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]