Data were collected from 13 hospitals in Northern (Beijing), Central (Yantai, Qindao, Weifang, Zibo, Rizhao cities in Shandong Province) and Southern (Kunming City in Yunan Province) China. A listing of participating centres can be found in online supplementary appendix 1 . All patients admitted to the 13 hospitals during 1 January 2014 through 31 December 2014 with the relevant disease codes of pneumonia or pulmonary infection in the WHO International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (online supplementary appendix 2 ) were eligible. Data on all eligible patients identified in screening were retrieved from the hospital information system in each centre. Trained physicians reviewed the medical case history and collected data on 786 variables for each patient. Chest radiographs and CT scans for each patient were reviewed by pulmonary physicians and radiologists in each centre. Two-level review process was performed for data collection and entry.
The CAP case definition includes (1) illness onset in the community (defined as community-acquired infection among those who have not been hospitalised during recent 28 days)10 (link); (2) chest radiograph or CT scan showing infiltrate or interstitial changes, with or without pleural effusion; (3) any one of pneumonia clinical manifestations: (1) recent cough, sputum or aggravation of respiratory symptoms, the emergence of purulent sputum, with or without chest pain; (2) fever (defined as axillary temperature≥37.3°C)11 (link) or hypothermia (axillary temperature<36°C); (3) signs of pulmonary consolidation and (or) moist crackles; or (4) white cell count >10×109/L or <4×109/L, with or without neutrophil predominance.
Patients were excluded if (1) age <14 years; (2) pneumonia onset ≥48 hours after admission; (3) lung infiltrate or interstitial changes that were interpreted as lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis, non-infectious interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary oedema, atelectasis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary eosinophil infiltrate and pulmonary vasculitis; (4) immunocompromised status (including HIV(+), chemotherapy/radiotherapy within 6 months, immunosuppressive therapy, organ/bone marrow transplantation, splenectomy, haematological neoplasms); (5) readmission within 72 hours after discharge.
The CAP case definition includes (1) illness onset in the community (defined as community-acquired infection among those who have not been hospitalised during recent 28 days)10 (link); (2) chest radiograph or CT scan showing infiltrate or interstitial changes, with or without pleural effusion; (3) any one of pneumonia clinical manifestations: (1) recent cough, sputum or aggravation of respiratory symptoms, the emergence of purulent sputum, with or without chest pain; (2) fever (defined as axillary temperature≥37.3°C)11 (link) or hypothermia (axillary temperature<36°C); (3) signs of pulmonary consolidation and (or) moist crackles; or (4) white cell count >10×109/L or <4×109/L, with or without neutrophil predominance.
Patients were excluded if (1) age <14 years; (2) pneumonia onset ≥48 hours after admission; (3) lung infiltrate or interstitial changes that were interpreted as lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis, non-infectious interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary oedema, atelectasis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary eosinophil infiltrate and pulmonary vasculitis; (4) immunocompromised status (including HIV(+), chemotherapy/radiotherapy within 6 months, immunosuppressive therapy, organ/bone marrow transplantation, splenectomy, haematological neoplasms); (5) readmission within 72 hours after discharge.
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