Introduction
Age has been identified as a major factor influencing the outcomes of COVID-19. Elderly individuals (over the age of 60) are more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit and have a higher mortality rate due to their immunosenescence and the presence of multiple comorbidities[1, 2]. To better understand the prevalence of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in elderly patients, sputum samples from inpatients aged over 60 were collected and subjected to culturing.
Lower respiratory tract infections are common bacterial infections among hospitalized patients, with a mortality rate of up to 3-5% in adults, particularly the elderly[3, 4], these infections can be further complicated by the emergence of the novel coronavirus. Elderly patients with multiple underlying diseases and decreased immune function are more vulnerable to the new coronavirus infection, which is often accompanied by lower respiratory tract bacterial infection.
This study aimed to analyze the distribution of sputum bacterial culture pathogens in hospitalized elderly LRTI patients and the effect of the novel coronavirus on these pathogens. The results of this study will provide valuable insight into the prevalence in elderly LRTI patients and the impact of the novel coronavirus on these infections. This information can be used to inform clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies for elderly LRTI patients.
This retrospective study included 163 elderly LRTI patients admitted to the hospital between October 2022 and January 2023, including 129 males and 34 females aged 60-95 years old (see Table 1 for more details). All patients underwent routine bacterial culture, isolation and identification of pathogenic bacteria from sputum specimens, and RT-PCR method was used to determine the coronavirus nucleic acid. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Fuding Hospital.