Concerns about complications of pneumonia due to seasonal flu in the elderly

The elderly have reduced resistance and body functions, making it easier for pathogens to attack.

The Department of On-Demand Medical Examination and Treatment, Quang Ninh General Hospital, said it had just admitted patient D.TX (79 years old, residing in Ha Long) in a state of extreme fatigue, coughing with phlegm, fever, and painful swelling of both knees. The patient took medicine at home but did not improve, so his relatives took him to the emergency room.

The CT scan showed inflammation of the right lower lung. The patient had undergone total thyroidectomy due to thyroid cancer, type 2 diabetes with acute gout, and had been allergic to antibiotics. Doctors diagnosed Ms. X with severe pneumonia due to bacterial infection, acute attack of chronic gout, type 2 diabetes, and ischemic heart disease.

After a week of treatment, Mrs. X's health improved, her clinical condition improved, she no longer had a cough or fever, she could eat and drink, and her joints stopped hurting.

According to doctors, the elderly have reduced resistance and body functions, making it easier for pathogens to attack. Especially when the seasons change, the changing weather creates favorable conditions for viruses and bacteria to thrive and invade the upper respiratory system such as the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, etc., which are easily irritated, causing inflammation and infection.

Doctor of the On-Demand Medical Examination Department examined patient X. before discharge.

Doctor Vu Thi Huyen, Department of Examination and Treatment on Demand, said that elderly people with chronic diseases when the respiratory system is damaged are very susceptible to acute outbreaks due to bacterial superinfection. The bacteria invade and attack the lower respiratory tract, causing severe damage to the lungs, leading to acute respiratory failure and the risk of death if not treated promptly.

"Not only patient X., but recently, Quang Ninh General Hospital has also treated many elderly patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia. The number of pneumonia cases recorded tends to be higher than this time of year. The reason may be the prolonged and erratic weather during the transitional season," said Dr. Huyen.

According to this expert, most cases initially have only common flu symptoms, such as fever, body aches, cough, and stuffy nose. However, the disease then progresses very quickly, and upon hospitalization, there is difficulty breathing, chest pain, and unconsciousness. Some cases of severe pneumonia even have complications such as acute respiratory failure, sepsis, and multiple organ failure.

Pneumonia in the elderly rarely starts suddenly but often smolders, sometimes without obvious signs, atypical symptoms. Most cases only have fever, accompanied by runny nose, cough, easily confused with a cold in the cold rainy season.

The elderly and people with low resistance often have symptoms of rapid breathing, wheezing and difficulty breathing, sometimes only manifested by changes in perception, loss of appetite, and the risk of rapid deterioration.

In severe stages, patients may experience difficulty breathing, cyanosis, lethargy, even respiratory failure, sepsis, multiple organ failure leading to death. Therefore, doctors recommend that when there are signs of abnormal illness, patients should not be subjective but should go to medical facilities for examination and timely detection.

To prevent respiratory diseases from peaking in the fall and winter, when the weather turns cold, the elderly, especially those with chronic diseases, need to strengthen their immune systems by supplementing adequate nutrition, exercising and keeping their bodies warm.

According to Zing