Changing Clinical Characteristics of Pulmonary Thromboembolism in the Elderly (original) (raw)
2018, The Turkish Journal of Geriatrics
This study aims to examine the clinical differences between the Pulmonary Thromboembolism patients aged 65 and above and younger patients attending the clinic of chest diseases. Materials and Method: The study sample included the patients diagnosed with Pulmonary Thromboembolism at the Chest Diseases Clinic of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Faculty of Medicine between June 2016 and December 2017. Patients' files were scanned retrospectively and the participants were divided into two groups: elderly patients aged 65 and over (elder) and patients under 65 years of age (younger). These two groups were compared in terms of clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics of Pulmonary Thromboembolism. Results: A total of 149 patients consisting of 90 (60%) female and 59 (40%) male patients with an average age of 73±13 years (22-94) were included in the study. The most common symptom was dyspnea and the most frequently observed risk factor was immobility. The prevalence of chest pain was significantly higher in the patients younger group than elder group. Besides, no change in consciousness was observed in the patients in younger group, while altered state of consciousness was observed in 17 (15%) of 113 patients in elder group. Conclusion: Especially in patients elder, chest pain loses its significance, while unexpected symptoms such as altered state of consciousness can be observed. This should be taken into account; otherwise it may result in a delay in diagnosis.
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