Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences

Published by : PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PUBLICATIONS

ISSN 1681-715X

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Volume 24

July - September 2008

Number 4


 

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Confusion and fever in the elderly:
The necessity of lumbar puncture for CSF examination

Seyed Mohammad Alavi1, Sasan Moogahi2

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To determine the necessity of lumbar puncture for the cerebrospinal fluid examination in the evaluation of hospitalized elderly patients with confusion and fever.

Methodology: It is a descriptive study conducted in Ahwaz a city southwest Iran, from July 2006 to June 2007. Sixty elderly patients with confusion and fever admitted to a teaching hospital, who had a lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid evaluation to evaluate fever and confusion, were studied. After final diagnosis patients were placed in two groups (meningitis group and bacteremic group) and compared in SPSS using chi square test.

Results: Of the total sixty patients, six (10%) were diagnosed as bacterial meningitis. The remaining fifty four (90%) were diagnosed as bacteremia. The primary origins for fever and confusion in bacteremic patients included urinary tract infections (20%), pneumonia (45%), gastroenteritis (17%) and soft tissue infection (8%).

Conclusion: Most hospitalized, elderly patients with fever and confusion have primary causes of the confusion outside the central nervous system and may not require a routine evaluation of their cerebrospinal fluid.

KEYWORDS: Confusion, Elderly, Fever, Meningitis.

Pak J Med Sci    July - September 2008    Vol. 24 No. 4    520-524

How to cite this article:

Alavi SM, Moogahi S.Confusion and fever in the elderly: The necessity of lumbar puncture for CSF examination. Pak J Med Sci 2008;24(4):520-4.


1. Dr. Seyed Mohammad Alavi, MD
2. Dr. Sasan Moogahi,
1-2: Jundishapour Infectious and
Tropical Diseases Research Center,
Infectious disease Ward,
Razi Hospital
Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences,
Ahwaz – Iran.

Correspondence

Dr. Seyed Mohammad Alavi,
Razi Hospital,
Infectious Diseases Ward,
Ahwaz – Iran.
Email: alavi1329dr@yahoo.com

* Received for Publication: November 28, 2007
* Revision Received: May 20, 2008
* Accepted: June 2, 2008



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