Comparative Outcome Analysis of Penicillin-Based Versus Fluoroquinolone-Based Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Trend of Antibiotic Usage for Hospitalized Community-acquired Pneumonia Cases in Korea Based on the 2010-2015 National Health Insurance Data

BACKGROUND

This study is to describe the changes in prescribing practices of antibiotics to treat community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Korea during 2010-2015.

METHODS

The claim database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea was used to select adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) admitted between 2010 and 2015, with the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes relevant to all-cause pneumonia for the first or second priority discharge diagnosis. The episodes with hospital-acquired or healthcare-associated pneumonia were excluded. Consumption of each antibiotic was converted to defined daily dose (DDD) per episode. The amount of antibiotic consumption was compared between patients with CAP aged < 65 years and those aged ≥ 65 years.

RESULTS

The average amount of antibiotic consumption per episode was 15.5 DDD, which remained stable throughout the study period (P = 0.635). Patients aged ≥ 65 years received more antibiotics than those aged < 65 years (15.7 vs. 15.3 DDD). Third-generation cephalosporin (4.9 DDD/episode, 31.4%) was the most commonly prescribed, followed by macrolide (2.7 DDD/episode, 17.1%) and beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) (2.1 DDD/episode, 13.6%). The consumption amount of fourth-generation cephalosporin (4th CEP) (P = 0.001), BL/BLI (P = 0.003) and carbapenem (P = 0.002) increased each year during the study period. The consumption of 4th CEP and carbapenem was doubled during 2010-2015.

CONCLUSION

The prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as 4th CEP and carbapenem to treat CAP increased in Korea during 2010-2015.

Adaptation of antibiotic treatment to clinical practice guidelines in patients aged ⩾65 years hospitalised due to community-acquired pneumonia

Early, conforming antibiotic treatment in elderly patients hospitalised for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a key factor in the prognosis and mortality. The objective was to examine whether empirical antibiotic treatment was conforming according to the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery guidelines in these patients. Multicentre study in patients aged ⩾65 years hospitalised due to CAP in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 influenza seasons. We collected socio-demographic information, comorbidities, influenza/pneumococcal vaccination history and antibiotics administered using a questionnaire and medical records. Bivariate analyses and multilevel logistic regression were made. In total, 1857 hospitalised patients were included, 82 of whom required intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Treatment was conforming in 51.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 49.1-53.8%) of patients without ICU admission and was associated with absence of renal failure without haemodialysis (odds ratio (OR) 1.49, 95% CI 1.15-1.95) and no cognitive dysfunction (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.25-2.35), when the effect of the autonomous community was controlled for. In patients with ICU admission, treatment was conforming in 45.1% (95% CI 34.1-56.1%) of patients and was associated with the hospital visits in the last year (<3 vs. ⩾3, OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.03-7.12) and there was some evidence that this was associated with season. Although the reference guidelines are national, wide variability between autonomous communities was found. In patients hospitalised due to CAP, health services should guarantee the administration of antibiotics in a consensual manner that is conforming according to clinical practice guidelines.

Antibiotic treatment patterns, costs, and resource utilization among patients with community acquired pneumonia: a US cohort study

OBJECTIVES

The current treatment options for patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) often present a trade-off between the potential for treatment failure and safety concerns. We set out to investigate real-world outcomes associated with the use of currently available antimicrobial treatment options for CAP in both the outpatient and inpatient (non-intensive care unit [ICU]) settings.

METHODS

This claims-based retrospective study included adult patients diagnosed with CAP and treated with antibiotic therapies, including any oral fluoroquinolone, macrolide, or beta-lactam monotherapy in the outpatient setting, and intravenous (IV) levofloxacin or IV azithromycin/ceftriaxone in the inpatient setting. Generalized linear model (GLM) regression was used to determine total charges for inpatient stay, the length of stay, and days of inpatient therapy. For outpatients, rates of adverse events (AEs), treatment failure, and hospitalization were compared by type of initial antibiotic therapy using logistic regression multivariate models that controlled for baseline characteristics.

RESULTS

A total of 441,820 outpatients and 33,287 inpatients treated for CAP between 2007 and 2012 were included in this analysis. In the outpatient setting, fluoroquinolone therapy led to a higher rate of documented AEs (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.25; p < 0.0001) but a lower rate of retreatment (adjusted OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.87-0.94; p < 0.0001) compared with macrolides. Both AEs and retreatment in these patients were associated with increased costs. For patients treated with the IV macrolide/beta-lactam combination compared with IV fluoroquinolone in the inpatient setting, a significantly longer length of stay in hospital (4.71 vs. 4.38 days; p < 0.0001) and greater overall costs ($3,535 more per stay; p < 0.0001) were observed.

CONCLUSION

In both the inpatient and outpatient settings, the development of additional efficacious treatment options that have a reduced AE burden for patients with CAP may be warranted.