{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T09:55:18Z","timestamp":1781517318997,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,14]],"date-time":"2026-06-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781395200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The increasing incidence and improved survival rates of multiple myeloma (MM) have led to a growing healthcare burden, particularly in terms of hospitalizations. In addition, infection-related complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The impact of infection control measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalization patterns in MM is not well-established. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study including all hospital admissions of patients with MM in a tertiary hospital in Spain across three different periods: 2008, 2018, and May 2020 to April 2021 (COVID-19 pandemic period). We analyzed the proportion of admissions, cumulative length of stay, causes of hospitalization, and infection-related complications. Results: The proportion of hospitalizations due to MM increased significantly from 14% in 2008 to 29.8% in 2018 (p &lt; 0.001), along with a parallel increase in cumulative length of stay (14.4% vs. 27.1%, p &lt; 0.001). During the COVID-19 period, a significant reduction in the proportion of admissions was observed compared to 2018 (21.2% vs. 29.8%, p = 0.0029), while cumulative length of stay showed a non-significant decrease. The proportion of infection-related admissions remained stable during the pandemic period, although the absolute number of infections decreased, including respiratory infections. Notably, the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia decreased significantly (26.3% vs. 9.6%, p = 0.028). Conclusions: Compared with 2008, patients with MM accounted for a substantially higher proportion of hospital admissions and cumulative hospital stay in 2018, reflecting the increasing healthcare burden associated with this disease. During the COVID-19 period, a significant reduction in nosocomial pneumonia was observed, suggesting that infection-control strategies may help reduce respiratory complications in patients with MM.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15124613","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T08:57:58Z","timestamp":1781513878000},"page":"4613","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Changes in Hospitalization and Infection Burden in Patients with Multiple Myeloma Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Sunil","family":"Lakhwani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, 38320 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristian L.","family":"Guti\u00e9rrez-Padilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ra\u00fal","family":"Dom\u00ednguez-Guerra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea R.","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Su\u00e1rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5395-1121","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"D\u00edaz-L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, 38320 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alejandro","family":"Mart\u00edn-Mart\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, 38320 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miguel T.","family":"Hern\u00e1ndez-Garc\u00eda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, 38320 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Islas Canarias, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1053\/j.seminoncol.2016.11.004","article-title":"Multiple myeloma epidemiology and survival: A unique malignancy","volume":"43","author":"Kazandjian","year":"2016","journal-title":"Semin. 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