DEMOGRAPHICAL, ETIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL PROFILE OF COMMUNITY ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN ELDERLY POPULATION

OBJECTIVE: To determine the demographical, etiological and clinical profile of patient with community acquired pneumonia in elderly population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross sectional study of six months was conducted at tertiary care hospital Hyderabad. The inclusion criteria of the study was patients ≥ 60 years of age, either gender presented with clinical symptoms of fever, chest pain, cough with or without expectoration, shortness of breath and sensorium alteration were recruited in the study. The routine investigations along with radiological evaluation and sputum studies were the major tools to detect the pneumonia. The patients were management accordingly and observe the outcome as well while the data was collected on pre-designed proforma and analyzed in SPSS 16. The frequency and percentages was calculated while the numerical statistics were used to compute mean ±SD. RESULTS: During six months study period total fifty patients with community acquired pneumonia was detected and studied demographically, etiologically and clinically. The mean ±SD for whole study population was 72.97±7.85. The male population was predominant 74%; the common co-morbidities observed were COPD (38%), diabetes mellitus (44%), hypertension (24%) and congestive cardiac failure (20%) while the smoking and alcoholism was detected in 44% and 22% population. The sputum Gram positive cocci and mixed pattern was identified in 40% and 44% while Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was observed in 64%, 8% and 8% elderly population. On radiology, the lobar and bronchopneumonia was detected in 64% and 20% patients while the common complications identified were septic shock (37.5%), pleural effusion (25%) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (12.5%) whereas the mortality was observed in 12% elderly pneumonic patients. CONCLUSION: Community acquired pneumonia in elderly population is a major health issue has varying clinical presentation and higher mortality rate Keywords: Pneumonia, Community acquired pneumonia, Consolidatio