Males 65 and older at higher risk for bacterial pneumonia
In a study of all Medicare recipients aged 65 and older who were hospitalized for bacterial pneumonia (community-acquired pneumonia) during 1997, researchers found that men had a higher incidence of the disease, their cases tended to be more complex, and their chances of death from the disease were higher than for women. For the research, investigators examined 623,718 hospital admission records of patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Although more women were part of the study group, the incidence rate was higher for men (19.4 cases per 1,000 men versus 15.6 cases per 1,000 women). Men were more likely to be managed as a complex case, both from an overall standpoint (24.4 percent versus 20.8 percent), and across all age groups. (Complex cases were those who were managed in the intensive care unit,with or without mechanical ventilation.) Men also had a higher mortality rate. The researchers said that as the elderly population grows over time, the burden of CAP will increase substantially, with 750,000 cases projected for 2010 and 1 million for 2020. The research appears in the second issue for March of the American Thoracic Societys peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Limited spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Los Angeles county
Researchers studying pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Los Angeles County, California, between August 1993 and 1998 showed that, although a high percentage of
these cases were infectious, limited spread of MDR disease took place. Those results were evident despite the fact that Los Angeles County reported the second highest number of TB
cases among all metropolitan areas between 1993 and 1997, along with one-third of all California cases. The researchers attempted to determine the extent of MDR-TB transmission by using restriction fragment le
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Contact: Cathy Carlomagno
ccarlomagno@thoracic.org
212-315-6442
American Thoracic Society
19-Mar-2002