Clinical predictors for Legionella in patients presenting with community-acquired pneumonia to the emergency department

Rico Fiumefreddo, Roya Zaborsky, Jeannine Haeuptle, Mirjam Christ-Crain, Andrej Trampuz, Ingrid Steffen, Reno Frei, Beat Müller, Philipp Schuetz, Rico Fiumefreddo, Roya Zaborsky, Jeannine Haeuptle, Mirjam Christ-Crain, Andrej Trampuz, Ingrid Steffen, Reno Frei, Beat Müller, Philipp Schuetz

Abstract

Background: Legionella species cause severe forms of pneumonia with high mortality and complication rates. Accurate clinical predictors to assess the likelihood of Legionella community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in patients presenting to the emergency department are lacking.

Methods: We retrospectively compared clinical and laboratory data of 82 consecutive patients with Legionella CAP with 368 consecutive patients with non-Legionella CAP included in two studies at the same institution.

Results: In multivariate logistic regression analysis we identified six parameters, namely high body temperature (OR 1.67, p < 0.0001), absence of sputum production (OR 3.67, p < 0.0001), low serum sodium concentrations (OR 0.89, p = 0.011), high levels of lactate dehydrogenase (OR 1.003, p = 0.007) and C-reactive protein (OR 1.006, p < 0.0001) and low platelet counts (OR 0.991, p < 0.0001), as independent predictors of Legionella CAP. Using optimal cut off values of these six parameters, we calculated a diagnostic score for Legionella CAP. The median score was significantly higher in Legionella CAP as compared to patients without Legionella (4 (IQR 3-4) vs 2 (IQR 1-2), p < 0.0001) with a respective odds ratio of 3.34 (95%CI 2.57-4.33, p < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristics showed a high diagnostic accuracy of this diagnostic score (AUC 0.86 (95%CI 0.81-0.90), which was better as compared to each parameter alone. Of the 191 patients (42%) with a score of 0 or 1 point, only 3% had Legionella pneumonia. Conversely, of the 73 patients (16%) with > or =4 points, 66% of patients had Legionella CAP.

Conclusion: Six clinical and laboratory parameters embedded in a simple diagnostic score accurately identified patients with Legionella CAP. If validated in future studies, this score might aid in the management of suspected Legionella CAP.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analysis of different clinical and laboratory parameters to differentiate Legionella CAP from non-Legionella CAP. AUC denotes area under the curve; LDH and CRP denote lactate dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Patients with non-Legionella CAP (dark gray) and Legionella CAP (light gray) according to the points of the diagnostic score. Numbers in the boxes represent total number of patients.

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Source: PubMed

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