title: The effect of sociodemographic and clinical features on mortality in patients with diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical chracteristics of patients hospitalized with aspiration pneumonia in internal medicine clinics, and to determine the incidence and parameters of mortality among these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients over the age of 18 years who were hospitalized in clinics of internal medicine between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2013 (115 male, 89 female; mean age: 77±13 years; patients aged 65 years and over, 88.2%; average duration of hospitalization, 11±9 days) were evaluated retrospectively and consecutively. The incidence of mortality, nutritional status at admission, comorbidity frequency, haematological and biochemical data and their relationship with mortality were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At admission, 85% of the patients were fed through oral route, while 15% of them were fed through PEG. There was no relation between nutritional status of the patients (oral, nasogastric tube or PEG) at admission, and development of aspiration pneumonia. Commonly seen comorbidities were dementia (49%), hypertension (43%), cerebrovascular accident (42%), and diabetes mellitus (31%) respectively. The mortality rate was 24.5% (in first three days, 56%). A correlation was found between mortality and increase in neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and increased uric acid rate (for both p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, the mortality rates among patients diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia was found to be increased. The high number of geriatric patients and comorbidities might have played a role in this situation. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and uric acid levels in patients with aspiration pneumonia might be evaluated as factors related to mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Nuri
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uzunlulu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aytekin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oguz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kostek
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Division of Endocrinology, Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mumtaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takir
keywords: Aspiration pneumonia; comorbidity; internal medicine clinic; mortality