Prevention of respiratory infections in the elderly

Abstract

The risk of nosocomial infections is 3–5-fold higher among older patients than among younger adults. Both the increased incidence of respiratory infections and the high mortality among older people are a consequence of a number of age-related factors, including coexisting illnesses, therapeutic interventions, and the aging process itself. Risk factors for the development of respiratory infections in older people can be broadly classified into factors that alter host defenses and factors that increase exposure to bacteria. These factors combine to adversely affect the person's capacity to defend against pathogens of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Despite the availability of potent new antimicrobials, the increasingly limited treatment efficacy of these antimicrobials is related to emerging microbial resistance. Recently, new methods of treating respiratory infections according to the mechanisms of infection have been introduced. Effective methods of preventing respiratory infections in older people were reviewed.