Respiratory-tract infections among geriatrics: prevalence and factors associated with the treatment outcomes

Abstract

Background: Geriatric individuals are more susceptible to different infections, especially respiratory-tract infections (RTIs) due to their compromised immune system. Hence, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate the prevalence, medication regimen complexity and factors associated with the treatment outcomes of different RTIs among geriatrics. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study (5 years) was conducted at the respiratory department, Hospital Pulau Pinang. Patients aged ⩾65 years with confirmed diagnosis of RTI were included in the study. Results: A total of 474 patients were included, and the most prevalent RTIs were community-acquired pneumonia (65.6%) followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (20.7%), bronchitis (8.2%) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (5.5%). Amoxicillin/clavulanate (69.8%), ampicillin/sulbactam (9.1%) and cefuroxime (6.5%) are the most common antibiotics prescribed to treat RTIs among geriatrics. Smoking, alcohol consumption, polypharmacy and presence of other co-morbidities are statistically significant factors associated with treatment outcomes of RTIs among geriatrics. Conclusion: Prevalence of community-acquired pneumonia (65.6%) among older patients aged 65 years and older higher than other RTIs. Smoking, alcohol use, presence of polypharmacy and other co-morbidities are important factors associated with the treatment outcomes of RTIs. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Association of pneumonia admission with polypharmacy and drug use in community‐dwelling older people

“…Some recent reports showed the relationship between polypharmacy and pneumonia, but did not evaluate frailty or disability. 21,22 In this regard, we consider the present report to be novel. Previous studies have reported the association of the use of benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and anticholinergics with pneumonia.…”

“…There are few reports that tried to clarify the association between polypharmacy and pneumonia. Some recent reports showed the relationship between polypharmacy and pneumonia, but did not evaluate frailty or disability 21,22 . In this regard, we consider the present report to be novel.…”

Investigating the association between medication regimen complexity, medication adherence and treatment satisfaction among Malaysian older adult patients: a cross-sectional study

“…The reported mean MRCI score in this study was 17.38 (SD = 7.07), which can be categorized into medium complexity (15.5–20) [ 20 ]. In comparison, two studies that evaluated MRC among Malaysian older adults diagnosed with acute infections (i.e., UTI and RTI) reported low complexity (≤ 15.0), which were 14.0 and 11.8, respectively [ 34 , 35 ]. Other studies also evaluated MRC among chronic kidney disease (CKD) older patients in Australia and Norway, with reported higher MRCI scores of 27.0 and 22.8, respectively, which are classified as high complexity (≥ 20.5) [ 36 , 37 ].…”

Pneumococcal vaccination and primary care presentations for acute respiratory tract infection and antibiotic prescribing in older adults

“…However, it is uncertain how much pneumococcal vaccines may prevent more nonspecific outcomes such as lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) [7][8][9]. A large proportion of acute respiratory tract infections (ARI) lead to antibiotic prescriptions, with ARIs accounting for an estimated 50% of all antibiotic prescriptions in adults [10][11][12]. As a reduction in antibiotic use is likely to help to curb the global emergence of antimicrobial resistance, it is also important to quantify whether pneumococcal vaccination has any role in reduction of ARI presentations and subsequently ARI-related antibiotic prescriptions, and no previous study has yet investigated this in adults.…”