Clinico-microbiological profile of elderly patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia visiting Western Regional Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia is an infection of the lung parenchyma acquired in the community or in the hospital within 48 hours of admission. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological profiles of elderly patients with CAP.

Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 73 patients with CAP who were admitted to the inpatient ward and ICU or visited the medical OPD of a tertiary centre hospital from January 2025 to June 2025. A purposive sampling technique was employed.Clinical and laboratory data from patients satisfying the inclusion criteria were collected using a proforma, entered into, and analyzed using appropriate statistical tools.

Results: The mean age of patients with CAP enrolled in this study was 75.48±6.21 years, ranging from 65 to 91 years, with a female preponderance (53.42%).The majority of patients were smokers (65.75%) and had a history of pneumonia(47.95%). COPD (42.47%) was the most common identified comorbidity, followed by hypertension(23.29%).Culture positivity was present in 24.65% of patients, with the most common isolated organism being S. pneumoniae (72.22%), followed by Pseudomonas and Klebsiellaamong culture positive cases.Radiologically, the right side (49.32%) and lower zone (83.56%) were the most commonly affected regions.

Conclusion: This study identified the clinical, microbiological, and radiological profiles of elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Females and active smokers constituted a larger proportion of the patients among enrolled patients. Gram staining and culture sensitivity tests should be performed to evaluate the cause of pneumonia.