Abstract:

Aim: The progression of pneumonia in the senior-age population can be catastrophic. Biomarkers capable of assessing the severity of pneumonia play a pivotal role in prognosis. We conducted an evaluation of the kinetics of immature granulocytes (IG) and nucleated red blood cells (NRBC) as potential indicators of the severity of geriatric pneumonia. Materials & Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, patients diagnosed with pneumonia were categorized using two prominent severity scoring systems, CURB-65 (Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, age >65) and PSI (Pneumonia severity index). Additionally, the patients' discharge status and infection process markers were noted. Results: A total of 80 patients were included in the evaluation, with a mean age of 72.23 ± 7.26. Excluding the mortality rate of 49% when including oncology patients, the overall mortality rate was 26%. The deceased patients had longer hospitalization durations, higher CURB-65 and PSI category classifications, and elevated NRBC results. In CURB-65-based categorization, there was an increase only in NRBC levels associated with disease severity, whereas, in PSI-based categorization, there was an increase in both NRBC and IG levels. No statistical difference was observed in NRBC and IG levels when excluding oncology patients from the analysis. Conclusion: In geriatric pneumonia cases, the dynamics of NRBC appear to be more crucial in indicating disease severity compared to IG. However, this opportunity seems to be missed or compromised in patients with oncological comorbidities.

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