Pneumonia in older adults. New categories add complexity to diagnosis and care.
The microbiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in older adults, particularly in residents of long-term care facilities, differs from that in the general US population. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are important, newly appreciated causes of pneumonia and triggers of comorbid disease exacerbations that often lead to hospitalization of high-risk elderly patients with underlying heart or lung disease. Here, Dr High examines the diagnostic and treatment strategies that are needed in older adults and outlines preventive methods that may greatly reduce the risk of illness in this population.
High
Kevin P
KP
Section of Infectious Diseases, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA. khigh@wfubmc.edu
D000368:Aged; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors