INTRODUCTION

Pneumonia is a common infectious disease and causes significant morbidity and mortality especially in elderly people. Aspiration as a cause of pneumonia is common in this population. The aim of our study was to describe the clinical features and outcomes of very old patients with aspiration pneumonia (AP) and comparing them with patients with non-AP.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, we analyzed old patients (≥80 years-old) with pneumonia admitted 2014 in the Department of General Internal Medicine.

RESULTS

Seventy-six old patients with pneumonia were included in the study, and 46 (60.5%) met criteria of AP. Increasing levels of urea, creatinine and sodium and low estimated glomerular filtrate rate were more common among AP patients. In addition, severity of pneumonia scored by pneumonia severity index and CURB-65 score were significantly greater in AP than in non-AP patients. The 30-days mortality in AP was (44%) quite higher than in non-AP (32%). The only predictor of mortality was high level of sodium (odds ratio: 1.09; 95% confidence intervals: 1.00-1.18).

CONCLUSIONS

AP in octogenarian and nonagenarians showed higher levels of sodium and low estimated glomerular filtrate rate and higher severity of pneumonia and slightly higher mortality than non-AP.