[Incidence of pneumococcal pneumonias in hospital settings in the autonomous Community of Valencia throughout the 1995-2001 period. Spain].

Background: Pneumococcal pneumonias comprise a major health problem. This study is aimed at ascertaining the evolution of pneumococcal pneumonias in hospital settings within the Autonomous Community of Valencia throughout the 1995-2001 period.

Methods: The cases of pneumococcal pneumonias were selected from the Minimum Basic Data Set. The confidence interval (95%) and ANOVA were calculated using the SPSS program, the incidence and evolution over the course of time, in addition to the interactions with the gender, age and province variables were calculated. The average length of hospital stay was also calculated.

Results: The incidence for the period under study was that of 29 cases/100,000, having dropped since 1996 and stabilizing during the final years of the study. Among individuals over age 65, the incidence was that of 101/100,000, whilst among those under five years of age, it was 76/100,000. The incidence among females was 22/100,000 and 37/100,000 among males. The incidence by provinces wits 31 for Valencia, 21 for Alicante and 24 for Castellón; tending to stabilize in Valencia and Alicante, while rising in Castellón. The average length of stay was 10.6+9 days, being 12.5 days for the 45-64 age range.

Conclusions: Pneumococcal pneumonias are more frequent among either the very young or very old and affect males more, especially those over age 65. A different evolution was found in the province of Calstellón. The average length of stay varies according to age, there being no significant difference between genders or age groups.