Risk factors for hospitalization among older persons

The hospitalization of older patients involves, in addition to treating of acute illness or acute worsening of chronic disease, the risk of a number of age-specific complications. Deliria are one of the most common events at the onset of the hospital stay. As the ethiology of deliria in addition to the underlying disease we have to consider the deteriorated adaptability to environmental change. Another serious complication is the emergence of immobilization syndrome, which can start the irreversible unfavourable outcome. Infection complications with a high tendency to develop sepsis are a frequent primary cause of hospitalization, but also a frequent complication of hospitalization from originally different indications. The onset of the infection complication is usually accompanied by a slower increase of inflammatory parameters, but it does not mean slower progression of the condition. The basic problem is the choice of appropriate antibiotic treatment with regard to the high risk of Clostridium difficile selection in older age. Other risks, such as malnutrition, dehydration, thromboembolic disease are more frequent in hospitalized older patients and it is advisable to start as soon as possible with preventive measures against their occurrence. Key words: dehydration - deliria - immobilization syndrome - instability - malnutrition - respiratory infection - urinary infection.