Infectious emergencies in the elderly.
As life expectancy continues to rise, the number of geriatric patients will increase and the percentages of geriatric patients seen in the emergency department will reflect those numbers. Emergency physicians are responsible for making immediate diagnoses and initiating expeditious treatment. Infectious diseases in the elderly are more prevalent, challenging to diagnose, and are associated with greater morbidity and mortality than with the younger patient population.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, 1 Boston Medical Center Place, Dowling 1 South, Boston, MA 02188, USA.
Adeyinka
A
Adedipe
Robert
R
Lowenstein
D000368:Aged; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D004630:Emergencies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology