Comparative study of elderly inpatients clinically diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, with or without radiological confirmation

To compare clinical and radiological aspects, as well as aspects regarding the course of the disease, of elderly inpatients clinically diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, with or without radiological confirmation. A total of 141 patients over the age of 60 were retrospectively studied. Radiological findings corroborated the clinical diagnosis in 45 patients, whereas, in 96 patients, radiology did not correlate with the clinical suspicion. The signs, symptoms, treatment, and outcomes of these two groups were compared. The findings of the study suggest that there were no significant differences between the groups according to the criteria analyzed. The prevalence of chest X-rays compatible with pneumonia in patients suspected of the disease was slightly higher than 30%. Having low specificity in the elderly, the clinical diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia should be used with caution. In view of the small number of patients studied, further studies on this topic are needed in order to confirm the findings.