Pneumonia in old age
introduction
Pneumonia is a very common infectious disease that occurs in old age. In the industrialized nations it is considered to be the deadliest infectious disease. This is mainly due to the high complication and mortality rate associated with pneumonia in old age. If the disease is discovered in good time, it should be treated in hospital because of the dangers. The prospects for recovery are good. With a later diagnosis, the complication rate increases and the prognosis for those affected worsens.
Read more on the topic: Superinfection
This is how pneumonia in old age differs from a young person
The biggest difference in pneumonia in old age versus a young person is susceptibility to the disease. The immune system is much more pronounced in young people, so that they are much less likely to develop pneumonia. At the same time, they are better able to fight the pathogen. This means that there are significantly fewer complications and the pneumonia is often healed more quickly.
The severe courses with fatal consequences are also much rarer in young people than in older people. All these differences are due to the fact that the young body can fall back on significantly more energy and strength reserves than the old body. The symptoms also differ in the age groups. Generally speaking, one can say that the symptoms become more and more unspecific with increasing age.
Read more on this topic at:
- Pneumonia in the child
- Pneumonia in the baby
Typical symptoms of pneumonia in old age
The typical symptoms of pneumonia are fever, chest pain (breath-dependent) and cough. With pneumonia, however, these symptoms become less pronounced with increasing age. In old age, only about half of those affected with pneumonia have a fever. The cough can also be significantly weakened, and chest pain is no longer felt as often. In contrast, very unspecific general symptoms become stronger.
With pneumonia, for example, appetite worsens, those affected get tired more quickly and are more likely to be out of breath - even with little physical exertion. In addition, there may be symptoms of other organ systems. This mainly affects the central nervous system, i.e. mostly the brain, so that headaches, confusion and restlessness can be noticed.
The gastrointestinal tract can also be affected. This often manifests itself in unspecific abdominal pain, and more rarely nausea. Due to these very general symptoms, which can indicate almost any disease in old age and are sometimes even regarded as "normal" in old age, pneumonia is often discovered very late in old age and therefore at an advanced stage.
Read more on this topic at:
- Signs of pneumonia
- Symptoms of pneumonia
- Pneumonia without a cough
Duration of pneumonia in old age
In old age, pneumonia can be expected to last significantly longer than in young people. While pneumonia is over completely in young and otherwise healthy people after a few weeks, recovery in older people can take several months. First the body has to defend itself against the pathogens. This takes a little longer in old age, so that you have to reckon with two months rather than one month. In addition, there are the sequelae of pneumonia, i.e. weakness, shortness of breath that may occur more quickly during physical exertion, etc. These symptoms also take several months to subside completely and the elderly affected are back to the state of health they had before the pneumonia.
Read more on this topic at:
- How long does pneumonia last?
- Pneumonia
Consequences of pneumonia
The consequences of pneumonia are mostly felt in the lungs themselves. The inflammation can cause scarring in the tissue, which reduces oxygen uptake. In the long run, this can also lead to a reduced resilience after the pneumonia. In addition, with pneumonia, especially in old age, one is often confined to bed for a few weeks. This leads to a significant breakdown of the muscles, which is why you can still feel reduced muscle strength months after the pneumonia. If the infection also spreads to other organ systems, significantly more severe courses and sub-functions of the affected organs must be expected. These can last for a very long time, sometimes for the entire life, and in the worst case even lead to death within a very short time.
Read more on this topic at:
- Consequences of pneumonia
Complications
The most dreaded complication of pneumonia is the spread of the infection throughout the body. This often happens through the blood as a result of blood poisoning. The pathogens (mostly bacteria) then attach to other organs, often the heart, kidneys and brain. This can not only lead to respiratory insufficiency (inability of the lungs to absorb enough oxygen) but also to failure of the other affected organs. This can result in kidney or heart failure, for example, which can quickly become life-threatening, especially in old age. Inflammation of the meninges (meningitis) is also possible. This is expressed through symptoms such as confusion, headache, nausea, vomiting and neurological failures and can often have severe irreversible (irreversible) consequences.
Vaccination against pneumonia
Vaccination against the most common influenza pathogens is recommended by the STIKO (permanent vaccination commission) in the population groups at risk. This includes all people who have a vulnerable immune system, such as young children and the elderly as well as people who take immunosuppressive (anti-immune) drugs and those who have a disease that inhibits the immune system. The vaccination takes place against the bacteria pneumococci, and a flu vaccination is also recommended to prevent pneumonia. In addition, it helps to have minor infections clarified by a doctor so that a worsening of the infection up to pneumonia can be avoided or at least recognized in good time.
Read more on this topic at:
- Vaccination against pneumonia
Why are pneumonia often fatal in old age?
As a rule, in old age, the body no longer has as many resources as it did in younger years. For example, the immune system is no longer as strong as it used to be, so pneumonia is more common. Pneumonia is a serious disease that demands a lot of strength from the body. Young, otherwise healthy people can cope better with this effort than older people who have other illnesses. The dreaded complication of disease spreading in the body often ends fatally in old age. Often the other organs that are infected (heart, kidneys) are already sick (heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure, etc.). This leads to a failure of the affected organs and thus to a fatal complication.
