Length of hospitalization in elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a serious social and medical problem in the elderly. Mortality, hospitalization and length of stay increase with age. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors associated wi th prolonged hospital stay in elderly patients with CAP. Clinical and labor atory data were collected for 115 community-living patients, 65 years old a nd over, admitted to the geriatric ward of a University Hospital from 1995 to 1998 because of symptoms and signs of pneumonia confirmed by a pulmonary infiltrate on chest x-ray. We divided the patients into two groups, with l ength of stay more than 13 days (70 patients, cases), and length of stay le ss than 13 days (45 patients, controls) according to Diagnosis Related Grou ps criteria for complicated and uncomplicated pneumonia, respectively. A pr olonged hospital stay was associated with a higher fever peak and a higher number of days with fever (p<0.005), greater comorbidity (p<0.001), urinary catheterization and secondary urinary infections (p<0.001), higher erythro cyte sedimentation rate (p<0.001), dehydration (p<0.005), and caloric-prote ic malnutrition (p=0.01). In conclusion, knowledge of the risk factors for prolonged hospital stay in elderly patients with CAP may be used to identif y high-risk patients, prevent the risks with prophylactic measures, and con tain the costs of hospitalization. (Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 12: 35-41, 2000) (C)2000, Editrice Kurtis.