[The community-acquired pneumonia: appropriateness of the admissions, risk factors and therapy].
In a clinical and epidemiological study used Fine's Pneumonia Severity Index to determine the appropriateness of the hospitalisation of patients with community acquired pneumonia in the Internal Medicine Department of a hospital in Northern Italy. Risk factors and antibiotic treatment were checked against recent international guidelines. The study shows that 20% of the admissions were to be not appropriate. The principal risk factors were old age and such the co-morbidities heart failure, chronic cerebral diseases and COPD. In the home setting macrolides are less used than the new fluoroquinolones respirators. In the hospitals arrangements, b-lactams are still highly used, perhaps because of the high percentage of elderly patients. The data currently available suggest that some new fluoroquinolones such as levofloxacin are quite effective, presenting a broad spectrum of action, high bioavailability and good tolerability. Sequential therapy with this antibiotic leads to shorter hospitalisation times.
Dipartimento Medico, Unità Operativa Malattie Infettive, Ferrara, Italy.
M
M
Libanore
R
R
Bicocchi
M
M
Pantaleoni
M P
MP
Antonioli
N
N
Napoli
F
F
Ghinelli
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents