Clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality in patients with community-acquired staphylococcal pneumonia.

() is increasing in prevalence as a causative pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, reports on the clinical features and mortality risk factors for CAP are limited. We therefore aimed to identify the clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality in these patients. We performed a post hoc and multivariate analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study that included adult hospitalized patients with CAP. To elucidate the features of CAP, we comparatively analyzed pneumococcal CAP (PCAP). We analyzed 196 patients with CAP and 198 patients with PCAP. CAP had a 30-day mortality of 16% (31/196) and a higher frequency of factors such as advanced age, comorbidities, poor functional ability, altered mental status, hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia/hypernatremia, acidemia, and hypoxemia. In the multivariate analysis, the significant risk factors for mortality in CAP were PaO/FiO ≤250 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 3.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20-9.04] and albumin <3.0 g/dL (AOR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.01-5.83). Non-ambulatory status tended to increase the risk (AOR, 2.40; 95% CI, 0.93-6.17). Methicillin resistance was not associated with mortality. In PCAP, hypoalbuminemia and non-ambulatory status affected mortality but hypoxemia did not. In conclusion, patients with CAP have distinct clinical features, and their mortality risk factors can include hypoxemia and hypoalbuminemia. Physicians should recognize that the factors influencing mortality might differ somewhat among causative pathogens, and appropriate management should be performed after obtaining information on the causative pathogen.