| [ Summary ] |
Pneumonia has been the third leading cause of death in Japan since 2011. Most hospitalized patients with pneumonia are elderly (over 70 years of age), typically presenting with aspiration pneumonia. In most cases, pneumonia arises from aspiration of microorganisms from the oral cavity or nasopharynx. Since elderly patients may not present with typical symptoms of pneumonia, such as cough, sputum, and fever, it is necessary to pay attention to any unusual appearance in elderly patients, in order to detect and treat pneumonia early. For treatment, oral indigenous microorganisms and anaerobic bacteria should be considered as causative agents. Therefore, penicillin drugs combined with a β-lactamase inhibitor, such as ampicillin-sulbactam, are often effective. Because aspiration pneumonia often recurs, it is important to take various precautions to prevent recurrence of this serious illness. |