MAGLIO study: epideMiological Analysis on invasive meninGococcaL disease in Italy: fOcus on hospitalization from 2015 to 2019.

This study analyzed hospital admissions for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in epidemiological and economic terms in Italy from 2015 to 2019. The volume of acute admissions for meningococcal diagnosis was analyzed in the period from 2015 to 2019. IMD admissions were identified by ICD-9-CM diagnoses. Costs were assessed using current DRG tariffs. In 2019, a total of 237 admissions for meningococcal disease were recorded in Italy. The mean age of patients was 36.1 years. Lumbar puncture was reported in only 14% of hospital discharge forms. From 2015 to 2019, there was a mean annual reduction of - 1.2% nationally for IMD hospitalizations. For 2019, the total costs for acute inpatient admissions were €2,001,093. Considering annual incidence due to IMD, a significant decrease was noted in the age group from 0 to 1 year (p = 0.010) during 2015-2019. For all years, mortality associated with meningeal syndrome was lower compared to septic shock with or without meningitis. From 2015 to 2019, hospitalizations for IMD appear to be decreasing slightly in Italy, even if mortality remains high. Favorable trends in hospitalizations for IMD were seen in the 0-1-year age group, which may be attributable to increased vaccination. Costs of hospitalizations for IMD remain high.

Increased Risk of Hospitalization for Pneumonia in Italian Adults from 2010 to 2019: Scientific Evidence for a Call to Action.

Background: Understanding trends in pneumonia-associated hospitalizations can help to quantify the burden of disease and identify risk conditions and at-risk populations. This study evaluated characteristics of hospitalizations due to pneumonia that occurred in Italy in a 10-year period from 2010 to 2019. Methods: All hospitalizations with a principal or secondary diagnosis of pneumonia over the 10-year period were included, which were identified by hospital discharges for all-cause pneumonia and pneumococcal pneumonia in the anonymized hospital discharge database of the Italian Health Ministry. Results: A total of 2,481,213 patients were hospitalized for pneumonia between 2010 and 2019; patients aged 75−86 years accounted for 30.1% of hospitalizations. Most hospitalizations (88.1%) had an unspecified pneumonia discharge code. In-hospital death was recorded in 13.0% of cases. The cumulative cost for pneumonia hospitalizations of the 10-year period were EUR 11,303,461,591. Over the observation period, the incidence rate for hospitalized all-cause pneumonia in any ages increased from 100 per 100,000 in 2010 to over 160 cases per 100,000 per year in 2019 (p < 0.001). Overall, there was a significant increase in annual percent changes in hospitalization rates (+3.47 per year), in-hospital death (+4.6% per year), and costs (+3.95% per year) over the 10-year period. Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that hospitalizations for pneumonia are increasing over time in almost all age groups, especially in the elderly. Given the substantial burden of pneumonia in terms of mortality, healthcare resources, and economic costs, greater public health efforts should thus be made to promote vaccinations against influenza and pneumococcus, particularly in high-risk groups.