Epidemiology of Aspiration Pneumonia: How Frequently Does Aspiration Pneumonia Occur in Older Adults?

Abstract

Aspiration pneumonia (AP) is a distinct subtype of pneumonia that significantly contributes to pneumonia-associated deaths. However, its incidence has yet to be fully elucidated. AP can occur in elderly patients with concomitant diseases and in post-surgical patients. The proportion of AP cases in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients reported in previous studies was 5{\%}--60{\%}. The incidence of AP cases among patients with CAP was 5{\%}--16.5{\%} in Spain, France, and North America. On the other hand, it was 60{\%} in Japan based on a multicenter study in 2008. These discrepancies in the findings among studies may arise from differences in the case definitions of AP and the quality of dysphagia assessment. In patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia, the AP proportion was consistently reported to be 57.8{\%} and 63.5{\%} in Japan.