• Inpyo Jeon, Gwang Pyo Jung, Han Gil Seo, Ju Seok Ryu, Tai Ryoon Han, and Byung-Mo Oh.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
• Ann Rehabil Med. 2019 Apr 1; 43 (2): 121-128.

ObjectiveTo investigate the proportion of aspiration pneumonia cases among patients with community-acquired pneumonia in Korea.MethodsThis retrospective study included patients with community-acquired pneumonia who had been admitted to the emergency department of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital in Gyeonggi Province, Korea between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016. Among these patients, those with aspiration pneumonia were identified using ICD-10 codes (J69.*). Patients with recurrent pneumonia were excluded, as were those who were immunocompromised. The proportion of cases of aspiration pneumonia was calculated, and the characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with aspiration pneumonia and non-aspiration pneumonia were compared.ResultsThe proportion of aspiration pneumonia cases among patients with community-acquired pneumonia was 14.2%. Patients with aspiration pneumonia were significantly more likely to be older (p<0.001) and male (p<0.001), and to have a higher confusion, uremia, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age ≥65 years (CURB-65) score (p<0.001) as compared to patients with non-aspiration pneumonia. They were also more likely to require admission to the intensive care unit (p<0.001) and a longer hospital stay (p<0.001).ConclusionAspiration pneumonia accounts for 14.2% of all cases of community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. These data may contribute to the establishment of healthcare strategies for managing aspiration pneumonia among Korean adults.

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