ABSTRACT
AIM: to have the picture of infectious disease pattern and serum albumin level in elderly people with respiratory tract infection hospitalized at the Internal Medicine Ward, Dr. Moewardi Hospital Surakarta. METHODS: descriptive-retrospective study. Sample was taken from the medical records of patients hospitalized at the Internal Medicine Ward DR. Moewardi Hospital from January to December 2004. Infectious disease includes the ones at the respiratory tract (pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)), urinary tract infection (UTI), digestive tract infection (gastroenteritis, typhoid fever), and tetanus. Serum albumin level data of patients with respiratory tract infection were taken from the hospital's laboratory results. RESULTS: from 337 elderly patients hospitalized at the Internal Medicine Ward DR. Moewardi Hospital Surakarta, proportion of patients aged 70 years or above was 39.17%, aged 60-64 years old were 37.09%, and 66-69 years were 23.74%. Distribution of diseases according to frequency is respiratory tract infection (66.77%), urinary tract infection (15.73 %), digestive tract infection (15.43%) (12.17%) and tetanus (2.07 %). From 57 elderly with respiratory tract infection, we found 45 individuals (78.95%) with hypoalbuminemia. CONCLUSION: the most common infectious disease found in the elderly hospitalized at Dr. Moewardi Hospital Surakarta is respiratory tract infection. Hypoalbuminemia was found in 78.95% of 57 elderly with respiratory tract infection.