Clinical Presentation and Management of Histoplasmosis in Older Adults

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) 2012-02, Vol.60 (2), p.265-270
• Main Authors: Ledtke, Christopher, Tomford, J. Walton, Jain, Anil, Isada, Carlos M., van Duin, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Biological and medical sciences; Chest; Clinical trials; endemic mycosis; Female; General aspects; Geriatrics; Histoplasmoses; Histoplasmosis; Histoplasmosis - diagnosis; Histoplasmosis - drug therapy; Human mycoses; Humans; imaging; Immune status; Infectious diseases; Lung; Lymphadenopathy; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mortality; Mycoses; Older people; Pain; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Retrospective Studies; Tropical mycoses; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03825.x

Objectives To describe the influence of age on clinical features of histoplasmosis. Design Retrospective single‐center cohort study. Setting Large tertiary care center. Participants All individuals who met criteria for probable or proven histoplasmosis between 1998 and 2008. Measurements Participants were divided into the following categories of histoplasmosis: acute pulmonary, chronic pulmonary, asymptomatic, disseminated, and other. Correcting for immune status, the influence of age at diagnosis on presentation, diagnosis, imaging, treatment, and all‐cause mortality was evaluated. Results In 347 participants with histoplasmosis, a number of characteristics were associated with age when evaluating participants according to diagnostic category. An age‐associated increase in asymptomatic histoplasmosis was observed (P