Pneumonia and Anemia in Rural Midwestern Missouri: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Pneumonia and anemia are prevalent medical conditions with significant implications on patient health, resulting in numerous hospitalizations and deaths. Various studies have been done on the mortality rates of pneumonia and anemia individually. However, fewer describe the mortality of patients diagnosed with pneumonia superimposed on anemia. METHODS: This retrospective study used data from electronic medical records obtained from rural Midwestern Missouri, including 9,879 patients who were admitted with either anemia or pneumonia. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The study found that patients with pneumonia had a higher mortality rate of 25.8% when diagnosed with comorbid anemia compared to the baseline group of patients with pneumonia without anemia at 14%. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates higher mortality in patients with both pneumonia and anemia than either pneumonia without anemia or anemia without pneumonia.