Incidence of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among Elderly Patients in Federal'medical Centre Umuahia

The incidence of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among elderly patients attending Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia State, South East Nigeria was evaluated. The study was aimed at assessing the various organisms from sputum and to test for their antimicrobial susceptibility. Two hundred and seventy patients who were seen over a six month period who were diagnosed for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections were used for the study. Out of this population, two hundred and fifty(250) sputum samples were examined from symptomatic patients while twenty(20) were from asymptomatic subjects. Sputum samples were examined for Microscopy, Culture and Sensitivity. There were two hundred positive sputum samples from symptomatic patients and twenty positive samples from asymptomatic control subjects. The commonest organisms isolated were Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative staphylococcus aureus. The later was isolated from asymptomatic control group. Their percentage occurrence in sputum samples are as follows: Streptococcus pneumonia 42%, Klebsiella pneumonia 20%, Staphylococcus aureus 16%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 13%, coagulase negative Staphylococcus aureus 9%. From the study and the laboratory findings, a significant growth was obtained from the total number of sputum samples tested. The incidence of lower respiratory tract infections among the elderly patients (between the ages of 56 and above) visiting the out-patient department of this Hospital was found to be 200 (74%) of the total sputum samples of symptomatic subjects investigated. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that most of these isolates were highly resistant to co-trimoxazole. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant to most antimicrobial drugs tested especially Co-trimoxazole and Ampicilin. Gentamicin and Ciprofloxacillin had high levels of sensitivity of 77.1% and 69.8% respectively. The study demonstrated that there was significant incidence (P<0.05) of lower respiratory tract infections in elderly in Umuahia metropolis.