PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Adamantia Liapikou AU - Ioanna Malliou AU - Panagiotis Petras AU - Maria Kasiola AU - Andreas Anastasopoulos AU - Michalis Volonakis AU - Dimitra Chaimala AU - Katerina Dimakou TI - Clinical presentation and evolution of community acquired pneumonia in older patients DP - 2012 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P2571 VI - 40 IP - Suppl 56 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P2571.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P2571.full SO - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40 AB - Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important threat to the health of older adults with almost 40% of them requiring hospitalization. CAP in the elderly has a different clinical presentation and evolution than CAP in other age groups.Aim: Comparing the characteristics, severity and outcomes of CAP in elderly and younger patients (control group).Methods: An observational, retrospective study of consecutive CAP patients >65 years old was performed during two years in two respiratory clinics. Exclusion criteria were immunosuppression and suspicion of aspiration.Results: Of 180 cases of CAP, 116 patients were>65 years old, with a mean age 75±10.3 years. Most elderly patients (76%) had comorbid conditions, including cardiac (55%), COPD(42%), diabetes mellitus (27%) and neurologic diseases(17%). Two-thirds (68%) of elderly patients belong to CURB65 III –IV classes comparing to 12% of the controls. An acute altered mental status was established in 30% of elderly patients comparing to 11% of the others and 80.5% requiring oxygen assessment, with 47% having PAFI<250. They stay longer in the hospital(11.43 vs 8.46, p=0.02),have more often complications. 12 elderly patients admitted to ICU and a total of 11 patients died (9.5%). The multivariate analysis showed the following factors of bad prognosis: CURB65 score, neurological disease and PAFI<250. Guidelines adherence was the same between the 2 groups and did not correlate with mortality. Conclusions: The elderly patients with CAP presented with higher CURB score, had more complications and mortality associated with the underline comorbitidies and the severity of CAP.