BACKGROUND: Infectious disease is a leading cause of hospitalization. We investigated trends in infectious disease hospitalizations among the elderly in the last decade. METHODS: A total of 81,077 hospitalizations of elderly patients between 2001 and 2010 were available on the computerized database of the Ha'emek Medical Center, Israel. The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases was calculated. RESULTS: Overall, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) accounted for 41.0% of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases followed by kidney, urinary tract and bladder infections (UTI) (21.4%), upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) (10.2%), and hepatobiliary tract infections (9.8%). The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases increased by 14.2% during the study period, rising from 16.9% in 2001 (1023 infectious disease hospitalizations of a total of 6043 hospitalizations) to 19.3% in 2010 (1907 infectious disease hospitalizations of a total of 9876 hospitalizations) (P for trend<0.001). A significant increasing trend persisted after adjustment for age, ethnicity, and season, resulting in an increase from 16.9% in 2001 to 18.8% in 2010 (P for trend=0.001). A significant increasing trend was observed in males (P for trend<0.001) and a borderline significant trend was observed in females (P for trend=0.062). The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases was higher in males and increased with age. LRTI and URTI were the major contributors to the increasing trend (P for trend=0.018 and <0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows an increasing trend in infectious disease hospitalizations among the elderly in the last decade. Public health measures are needed to reduce infectious disease hospitalizations.
BACKGROUND:Infectious disease is a leading cause of hospitalization. We investigated trends in infectious disease hospitalizations among the elderly in the last decade. METHODS: A total of 81,077 hospitalizations of elderly patients between 2001 and 2010 were available on the computerized database of the Ha'emek Medical Center, Israel. The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases was calculated. RESULTS: Overall, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) accounted for 41.0% of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases followed by kidney, urinary tract and bladder infections (UTI) (21.4%), upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) (10.2%), and hepatobiliary tract infections (9.8%). The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases increased by 14.2% during the study period, rising from 16.9% in 2001 (1023 infectious disease hospitalizations of a total of 6043 hospitalizations) to 19.3% in 2010 (1907 infectious disease hospitalizations of a total of 9876 hospitalizations) (P for trend<0.001). A significant increasing trend persisted after adjustment for age, ethnicity, and season, resulting in an increase from 16.9% in 2001 to 18.8% in 2010 (P for trend=0.001). A significant increasing trend was observed in males (P for trend<0.001) and a borderline significant trend was observed in females (P for trend=0.062). The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to infectious diseases was higher in males and increased with age. LRTI and URTI were the major contributors to the increasing trend (P for trend=0.018 and <0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows an increasing trend in infectious disease hospitalizations among the elderly in the last decade. Public health measures are needed to reduce infectious disease hospitalizations.