عفونت‌های منجر به بستری در دو گروه سالمند و غیر سالمند

Background and purpose: Infection is still 30% of deaths in the elderly. The increase risk of infection in this age group is probably due to the physiological changes of the aging process. The aim of this study was done to determine the infection leading to admission in elderly and non-elderly groups in a referral teaching hospital in the Southwest of Iran. Material & methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on hospital data. All patients admitted in the second half of 2012 in the Infection Ward of Razi Hospital in Ahvaz (referral teaching hospital in the Southwest of Iran) were studied in two age groups that include: elderly (greater than or equal to 60 years) and adult (under 60 years) groups. The final diagnosis is based on symptoms and clinical infectious disease by a specialist. Other variables such as gender and final status, transfer or death were also recorded. The Data were analyzed by statistical software SPSS 17 and Chi-square and Fisher s exact tests. Results: Finally, 111 cases (32.7%) were in the elderly group and 228 patients (67.3%) in the adult. In the elderly group, 62.2% were males and in adult group, 69.3% were males (P=0.219). The risk of infection in elderly in comparison with patients below 60 years was 1.3 for the bone and soft tissue infections, 0.3 for meningitis, 0.8 for TB, 0.7 for fever of unknown origin, 0.4 for hepatitis, 9.6 for sepsis, 2.1 for upper respiratory tract infection and 0.9 for genitourinary tract infections. The percentage of deaths in the elderly group (7%) was more than the adult patients (3%) patients (P=0.042). Conclusion: The result shows that the risk of some infections such as sepsis, upper respiratory tract infection and bone and soft tissue infections is high in elderly patients in comparison with the adult group and more attention must be considered to care these patients in the elderly group.