Starczewski A R, Allen S C, Vargas E, Lye M
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Christchurch Hospital.
Age Ageing. 1988 May;17(3):181-6. doi: 10.1093/ageing/17.3.181.
Acute pneumonia in the elderly is a common and serious condition. The importance of key clinical features and physical signs presenting to the junior hospital doctor was prospectively assessed in 100 consecutive patients admitted acutely to two hospitals. The most significant finding is that elderly patients with pneumonia who are found to be acutely confused at the time of presentation or who gave a previous history of chronic brain failure are much more likely to die than others. Thus such patients should be assessed with particular attention to the early diagnosis and vigorous treatment of pneumonia.
老年人急性肺炎是一种常见且严重的病症。对两家医院连续收治的100例急性入院患者，前瞻性评估了初级医院医生所面临的关键临床特征和体征的重要性。最显著的发现是，在就诊时出现急性意识模糊或有慢性脑功能衰竭既往史的老年肺炎患者比其他患者死亡的可能性要大得多。因此，对此类患者进行评估时应特别关注肺炎的早期诊断和积极治疗。
