Association Between Alcohol Use Disorders and Outcomes of Patients Hospitalized With Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Key Points Question What is the etiology of pneumonia among patients with alcohol use disorder, and is alcohol use disorder associated with poorer outcomes? Findings In this cohort study of 137 496 patients with pneumonia, the most common cause of pneumonia among patients with alcohol use disorder was Streptococcus pneumoniae ; resistant gram-negative infections were rare. In comorbidity-adjusted models, alcohol use disorder was not significantly associated with inpatient mortality, but patients with alcohol use disorder undergoing alcohol withdrawal more frequently required late mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, and intensive care unit admissions and had increased lengths of stay and hospital costs. Meaning This study suggests that alcohol use disorder alone is not an independent risk factor for resistant infection or mortality, but alcohol withdrawal is associated with clinical deterioration and higher use of health care resources.