Health Management for Older Adults III - Fever and Infection in the Elderly -- Pneumonia

< i > Fever and Infection in the Elderly -- Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an important cause of infectious morbidity and mortality in adults.

Its frequency increases with age.

The increased mortality associated with this may be due in part to delay in the initiation of antibiotics due to nonspecific or atypical presentation.

Cough, pleuritic chest pain, fever and leukocytosis may be absent -- the only sign you may have is altered mental status. Therefore, it is important to consider this in the differential diagnosis of an elderly person with mental status changes.