Is pneumonia really the old man's friend? Two-year prognosis after community-acquired pneumonia

摘要: Is pneumonia "the old man's friend"--a terminal event for patients who will otherwise die soon of underlying chronic disease? If so, chronological age might influence treatment policy. We investigated the predictors 2-year mortality after patients' admission to hospital community-acquired pneumonia, and focused on predictive value age. In a prospective cohort study 141 consecutive were admitted with pneumonia. Clinical, laboratory, sociodemographic data collected admission. Comorbidity was categorised as mild, moderate, or severe by physician based patient's medical history. Survival assessed at 24 months discharge. 22 (16%) died in hospital. Of remaining 119, 38 (32%) over next months. Cox model, independently related comorbidity (relative risk [RR] = 9.4) moderate (RR 3.1), haematocrit less than 35% 2.9) (all p 0.2). Old should not be sole criterion withholding aggressive