Korean J Med.
2010 Oct;79(4):346-355.
Community-acquired pneumonia in elderly patients
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
Abstract
- Pneumonia is the one of the 10 leading causes of overall mortality and the most common cause of infection-related death in Korea, especially in elderly patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common pathogen causing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in elderly patients, and gram-negative bacilli have also been reported as an important pathogen in Korea. Treatment guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia, which were published by the Joint Committee of the Korean Society for Chemotherapy, the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, and the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, are briefly presented in this article. A special consideration should be given to active preventive measures for CAP in elderly patients, especially vaccination using a seasonal influenza and pneumococcal 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine.
