A Cross-Sectional Study On Community-Acquired Pneumonia With Special Reference To Its Aetiology, Clinical Profile And Risk Factors On Elderly Population Aged Above 65 Years

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the clinical profile, radiographic, and microbiological features of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly& also to assess its risk factors & complications. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on a total of 100 subjects of either sex. Initially, the subjects were particularly asked about the initial presenting symptoms, including fever, cough with sputum, chest pain, breathlessness and haemoptysis. Then, the subjects were examined in detail for the evidence of clinical pneumonia-like restricted movements of the chest, inspired percussion note, accentuated vocal fremitus and vocal resonance, abnormal breath sounds and adventitious sounds. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for the statistical analysis. Results: Most study participants were between the age of 66-70 years (41%) with male predominance (55%). The most common chief complaint was fever, cough and chest pain presented in 30%. The most common comorbidities found was Type 2 diabetes (12%). 34% and 32% of subjects had a history of smoking alcohol consumption, respectively. X-ray findings revealed that majorly right lower zone consolidation was detected in 17% of the study subjects. The most common organism causing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in study subjects was found to be S. pneumoniae (36%). Conclusion: The incidence of CAP is affected by the presence of predisposing factors, patient’s age and geographic region. The common predisposing factors observed were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking and alcohol consumption. The most common clinical presentation of chest pain, cough and fever. This study demonstrated that chest radiography is a useful diagnostic tool to confirm or rule out pneumonia in subjects suspected of suffering from lower respiratory tract infection. S. pneumoniae was found to be the most common bacterial pathogen that causes Community-acquired pneumonia.