Introduction: The incidence of pneumonia among elderly is 4 times higher than younger individuals, with elevated risks of hospital admissions and high mortality rates. The most important and common infectious cause of death among old patients remains to be community acquired pneumonia. It is essential to properly assess severity of the disease to decide appropriate management ranging from antibiotics, hospitalization, and intensive care. Methodology: We conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE, January 1985, through February 2017. The following search terms were used: pneumonia, elderly pneumonia, intensive care unit, community acquired pneumonia, management and prevention
Aim: In this review, we aim to study the prevalence, etiology and intensive care management of pneumonia in the elderly. Conclusion: Community acquired pneumonia continues to be the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases among patients older than 65 years. It is also associated with significant amounts of long term morbidities. Proper assessment will have a significant impact on the burden of healthcare use, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and consequently, clinical and survival outcomes.