JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Abstract

Objectives: To study the clinical profile, radiological and microbiological characteristics and outcome of pneumonia in patients with diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: A prospective study conducted in the hospital attached to Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar, which included 50 patients of pneumonia with diabetes and 50 patients without diabetes. The clinical profile, radiological characteristics, the spectrum of causative agents, microbiological data and outcome of pneumonic patients with diabetes were analyzed and compared with data obtained from non-diabetic patients. Results: Patients with diabetes were significantly associated with multilobar involvement ( p=0.039), more severe at presentation in the form of pneumonia severity index( PSI score (p=0.020), more mortality( p=0.012) and more ICU admissions. In contrast, there is no significant difference in the age, sex, concomitant illness and complications. In subgroup of patients with diabetes, mortality was associated with multilobar involvement, high PSI score (p=0.01). Conclusion: In patients with pneumonia, diabetes is associated with more severe presentation, poor prognosis and poor outcomes. This study showed that this outcome is more attributable to underlying circumstances of patients than uncommon microbiological findings.