Abstract
BACKGROUND: Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection with presentations ranging from asymptomatic illness to severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. The outcomes of patients with severe pulmonary coccidioidomycosis requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) are not well understood. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2006 to 2017. Patients >18 years of age with a diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis were included in the cohort. RESULTS: A total of 11,045 patients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis during the study period. Of these, 826 (7.5%) patients required MV during their hospitalization with a mortality rate of 33.5% compared to 1.3% (p < 0.01) for patients not requiring MV. Results of the multivariable logistic regression model show that risk factors for MV included the history of neurological disorders and paralysis (OR 3.38[95% CI 2.70 to 4.20] p < 0.01; OR 3.13[95% CI 1.91 to 5.15] p < 0.01, respectively) and HIV (OR 1.63[95% 1.10 to 2.43] p < 0.01). Risk factors for mortality among patients requiring MV included older age (OR 1.24 per 10-year increase[95% CI 1.08 to 1.42] p < 0.01), coagulopathy (OR 1.61[95% CI 1.09 to 2.38] p = 0.01) and HIV (OR 2.83 [95% CI 1.32 to 6.10] p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 7.5% of patients admitted with coccidioidomycosis in the United States require MV, and MV is associated with high mortality (33.5%).