title: Prosthetic joint infections in the elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent age-projection showed that the number of elderly is expected to rise significantly over the next decades worldwide. Accordingly, the prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases will increase, among them osteoarthritis, resulting in more and older patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty and thereby also being at risk for associated complications. Among those, prosthetic joint infections are feared as threatening complication with a mortality approaching 8 % and causing long-term antibiotic therapy, immobilization and often account for operative revision.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review summarizes epidemiological, microbiological, and therapeutic aspects of prosthetic joint infection in the elderly population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the increase in the number of PJIs in the forthcoming years in most countries, a common action to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality is strongly encouraged in Europe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Catholic University, largo A. Gemelli 8, 00164, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Mutters
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine I, Raum 925, Ebene 3 Gebäude Nord, Tübingen University Hospital, Otfried-Müller-Straße 12, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minkley
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine I, Raum 925, Ebene 3 Gebäude Nord, Tübingen University Hospital, Otfried-Müller-Straße 12, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Holderried
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine I, Raum 925, Ebene 3 Gebäude Nord, Tübingen University Hospital, Otfried-Müller-Straße 12, 72076, Tübingen, Germany. Evelina.Tacconelli@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tacconelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Elderly; Management; Prosthetic joint infection; Risk factors; Therapy