Infection and the older patient

An increasing number of elderly patients are in and out of doctors' offices, hospitals, nursing homes, and so forth, under continual medical care. Numerous invasive procedures allow for casual transfer of infectious diseases by fellow patients as well as health care workers. Dramatic increases in infectious diseases such as foot infections, pneumonia, staphylococcal infections and, because of necessary invasive and blood transfusion procedures, AIDS can be expected in the future. The elderly patient is often a debilitated, compromised, immunodeficient host who is highly susceptible to any number of infections. With this in mind as the population grows older, clinicians must begin to apply Universal Precautions in their practices if they have not already done so, and not underestimate any disease or symptom in any patient, regardless of their age or their condition.