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Pneumonia in Geriatric Patients

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Geriatric Diseases

Abstract

In the elderly, the incidence and prevalence of pneumonia are four times higher than that of younger population. Age-associated changes are risk factors in the elderly for lower respiratory tract infections. Elderly patients have an excessive incidence of nosocomial pneumonia. The organisms affecting the elderly are the same as in the younger adults but with a different age-related distribution. In the elderly, the presenting features are often determined more by the host than by the specific organism causing the infection. The radiological appearances produced by the different organisms are variable and the radiological patterns are inconclusive, and there is no correlation between the pathological changes and the radiological appearances. The current approach to empirical management dwells on the type of patient (community or hospital) rather than the type of symptoms (typical or atypical). The antibiotic chosen should have an appropriate spectrum of the likely pathogens causing these infections and upon local resistance patterns of suspected organisms. The elderly have higher rates of hospitalization with a significant impact on morbidity and mortality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Sydney, Westmead Clinical School, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Nages Nagaratnam & Kujan Nagaratnam

  2. Rehabilitation and Aged Care Service, Blacktown-Mt Druitt Hospital, Mount Druitt, NSW, Australia

    Gary Cheuk

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  1. Nages Nagaratnam
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  2. Kujan Nagaratnam
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  3. Gary Cheuk
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Nagaratnam, N., Nagaratnam, K., Cheuk, G. (2018). Pneumonia in Geriatric Patients. In: Geriatric Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33434-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33434-9_10

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