Infections in Older Adults.
Mary Morgan Scott1, Stephen Y Liang2
1Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8066, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America
|April 17, 2021
Summary
Diagnosing infections in elderly patients is complex due to age-related immune changes. Careful assessment and appropriate antimicrobial use are vital to avoid poor outcomes and antimicrobial resistance.
Area of Science:
- Geriatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Infections in elderly patients present unique diagnostic challenges.
- Age-related immune system changes lead to nonspecific symptoms.
- Comorbidities can complicate infectious disease diagnosis in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the diagnostic difficulties of infections in the elderly.
- To emphasize the importance of careful clinical assessment and risk factor evaluation.
- To guide appropriate antimicrobial stewardship in geriatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Review of age-related factors influencing immune response.
- Analysis of clinical presentations of infections in older individuals.
- Discussion of antimicrobial selection and de-escalation strategies.
Main Results:
- Nonspecific presentations are common in elderly patients with infections.
- Delayed antimicrobial administration correlates with poor outcomes.
- Unnecessary antimicrobial use increases morbidity and resistance.
Conclusions:
- Judicious clinical assessment is crucial for accurate diagnosis of infections in the elderly.
- Appropriate antimicrobial selection and timely de-escalation are essential.
- Effective antimicrobial stewardship is necessary to combat multidrug-resistant organisms.
Keywords:
Antimicrobial stewardshipElderlyEmergency departmentGastrointestinal infectionsInfectionsPneumoniaSkin and soft tissue infectionsUrinary tract infectionMore Related Videos
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