Risk Factors for Post-Stroke Pneumonia in a Patient Population with Subacute Stroke: A Retrospective Cohort Study

The risk of pneumonia and death is higher in acute stroke patients with signs of pulmonary infection on chest computed tomography (CT) at admission. However, few reports have examined the incidence of pneumonia and its predictors in subacute stroke patients. The aim of this study was to examine factors related to post-stroke pneumonia in subacute stroke patients. A total of 340 subacute stroke patients were included. Univariable logistic regression analysis was performed using variables that may contribute to pneumonia, with the development of pneumonia as the dependent variable. Multivariable logistic regression analysis using the three independent variables with the lowest p-values on the univariable logistic regression analysis was also performed to calculate adjusted odds ratios. Twenty-two patients developed pneumonia during hospitalization. The univariable logistic regression analysis showed that the top three items were serum albumin (Alb), functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) score, and signs of pulmonary infection on chest CT at admission. Multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for these three items showed that the presence of signs of pulmonary infection on chest CT at admission was the independent variable (OR: 4.45; 95% CI: 1.54-12.9). When signs of pulmonary infection are seen on admission chest CT, careful follow-up is necessary because pneumonia is significantly more likely to occur during hospitalization.