Infectious Disease in the Aging: A Clinical Handbook, 2nd Edition

Infectious Disease in the Aging: A Clinical Handbook, 2nd Edition provides a focused clinical resource for understanding, diagnosing, treating, and preventing infectious diseases in older adults. Published by Humana, this edition brings together the expertise of experienced geriatric physicians and infectious disease specialists to address the distinctive challenges associated with infection in an aging population.

Aging is associated with changes in the body’s ability to resist infectious diseases. As a result, infections in elderly patients can present differently and may require diagnostic and therapeutic approaches that differ from those used in younger adults. This book emphasizes these clinical differences and provides a practical framework for approaching infectious diseases in older patients.

The handbook covers a broad range of common and serious infections, including urinary tract infections, pneumonia, tuberculosis, fungal and viral infections, and ocular infections. It also addresses complex conditions such as sepsis, infective endocarditis, bacterial meningitis, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, intraabdominal infections, and infections associated with prosthetic devices.

About the Book

Infectious Diseases in Older Adults

The diagnosis and management of infection in older adults can be particularly challenging because the aging process can alter resistance to infection and influence the clinical presentation of disease.

The book provides a clinical perspective on these challenges, helping readers understand why infectious diseases in elderly patients may require approaches specifically adapted to geriatric care.

Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are among the important infectious conditions encountered in older adults. The book discusses their clinical management within the broader context of infectious disease in aging patients.

The emphasis on diagnosis and treatment provides clinicians and students with a useful framework for understanding infection in the elderly.

Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections

Pneumonia is another major infectious concern in older patients. The handbook addresses pneumonia as part of its coverage of common infections affecting the aging population.

Understanding these infections in the context of older patients is important because diagnosis, treatment, and prevention may differ from approaches used in younger populations.

Tuberculosis

The book includes tuberculosis among the important infections encountered in elderly patients. Its inclusion within a clinically focused handbook provides readers with a broader understanding of infectious diseases that may affect aging populations.

Fungal and Viral Infections

Fungal and viral infections are also covered, expanding the handbook beyond common bacterial infections. This broad approach allows readers to consider multiple categories of infectious disease within the context of geriatric medicine.

Sepsis and Serious Systemic Infections

The handbook provides detailed discussion of sepsis, a serious complication of infection requiring prompt clinical attention. Its inclusion reflects the importance of recognizing and managing severe infectious conditions in older adults.

Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis receives dedicated attention as another significant infectious disease encountered in clinical practice. The book places this condition within its wider discussion of infectious disease management in elderly patients.

Central Nervous System and Musculoskeletal Infections

The text also addresses bacterial meningitis, osteomyelitis, and septic arthritis, providing coverage of infections involving the nervous system, bones, and joints.

These conditions demonstrate the wide range of infectious diseases that clinicians may need to consider when caring for older adults.

Intraabdominal and Prosthetic Device Infections

The handbook includes detailed discussions of intraabdominal infections and infections associated with prosthetic devices. These topics are particularly relevant to complex clinical situations in which underlying conditions, medical procedures, or implanted devices may influence infection management.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

A central theme throughout the book is the practical management of infectious disease. Experienced specialists review diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive approaches, giving the handbook a strong clinical orientation.

This combination makes the book useful not only for understanding individual infections but also for developing a broader approach to infectious disease care in older patients.

Key Topics

• Infectious diseases in older adults
• Geriatric infectious disease
• Urinary tract infections
• Pneumonia
• Ocular infections
• Tuberculosis
• Fungal infections
• Viral infections
• Sepsis
• Infective endocarditis
• Intraabdominal infections
• Bacterial meningitis
• Osteomyelitis
• Septic arthritis
• Prosthetic device infections
• Infectious disease diagnosis
• Antimicrobial treatment
• Infection prevention
• Aging and susceptibility to infection

Who Should Use This Book?

Infectious Disease in the Aging: A Clinical Handbook, 2nd Edition may be useful for:

• Geriatric physicians
• Infectious disease specialists
• Internal medicine physicians
• Medical students
• Residents and fellows
• Healthcare professionals caring for older adults
• Clinicians studying geriatric medicine
• Researchers interested in infectious diseases and aging

Final Thoughts

Infectious Disease in the Aging: A Clinical Handbook, 2nd Edition offers a comprehensive clinical overview of infections affecting older adults. Its emphasis on the differences between infectious disease in elderly and younger patients makes it particularly relevant to clinicians working in geriatric and general medical settings.

With coverage ranging from common urinary and respiratory infections to sepsis, endocarditis, meningitis, tuberculosis, fungal and viral infections, and prosthetic device infections, the handbook provides a broad reference for understanding the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases in aging populations.

Book Information

Title: Infectious Disease in the Aging: A Clinical Handbook, 2nd Edition
Publisher: Humana
Publication Date: June 12, 2009
Edition: 2nd
Language: English
Print Length: 974 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603275347
ASIN: B0CXMSBC39
Subjects: Infectious Diseases, Geriatric Medicine, Infectious Disease in Older Adults, Aging, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Urinary Tract Infections, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Fungal Infections, Viral Infections, Sepsis, Infective Endocarditis, Bacterial Meningitis, Osteomyelitis, Septic Arthritis, Intraabdominal Infections, Prosthetic Device Infections, Infection Diagnosis, Infection Treatment, Infection Prevention

Infectious Disease in the Aging: A Clinical Handbook, 2nd Edition is a clinically focused reference covering the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common and serious infections in older adults.