Particularities of community- acquired pneumonia in the elderly

Abstract

Background: Acute community-acquiredpneumonia in olderadults has averysevereprognosiswith a mortality rate whichcanreach 10%. Knowing the clinical, etiological, therapeutic and progressive features of thisdiseasecan help to establish management rulesthatcanimprove the prognosis. The aim of ourstudywas to compare the community-acquiredpneumonia profile in olderadults and youngerthem.

Methods: Retrospective comparative studyincluding patients hospitalized for community-acquiredpneumonia. Two groups of patients weredefined: group 1 subjectsagedbetween 18 and 64 years and group 2 subjectsaged 65 years and older.

Results: The meanage of elderlywas 76±6,18. COPD was five times more common in group 2 (p = 0.0001). Symptomsweredifferent in the two groups withpredominance of dyspnea in the group of elderly. Prognosisfactors scores (PSI and CURB_65) in elderlywerehighercompared to youngersubjects. Sputum culture wascontributory in third cases in both groups. Pseudomonas aeruginosawas the mostcommonpathogenidentified in the elderly. Empiricaltreatmentwas the mostprescribed in both groups. Evolution was more favorable in group 1 (p = 0.006). Complications, hospitalization in ICU and delay of recoveryweremostcommon in the group 2.

Conclusion: Our studyconfirmedsomecharacteristics of community-acquiredpneumonia in elderly; it has mostlyrevealed the importance of microbiological tests in this population.