Pneumonia and urinary tract infection are infectious diseases that cause more hospital admissions in internal medicine.

– about a third of the activity of a general internist is dedicated to the treatment of infectious

-study ENEMI reflects that 30% of patients with pneumonia entering internal medicine services corresponds to the Group of diseases associated with health care

-the study demonstrates heterogeneity existing in the management of pneumonias and little relevance to the recommendations of the guidelines clinical practice

Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, 2011-October about a third of the activity of a general internist is dedicated to the treatment of infectious diseases; including the respiratory, principally pneumonia and urinary tract infections are the most common in patients age advanced.

To them, some of the major challenges for the internist, according to Dr. Josep a. Capdevila Morell, Coordinator of the Group of infectious diseases (GTEI) of the Spanish society of internal medicine (SEMI) is to increase prevention, either with vaccination campaigns (influenza, Pneumococcus …) or improving the General conditions of the patientssuch as nutrition or dysphagia ”. And once acquired infection, determine the place of acquisition of the same, whether community, associated with health care or hospital, care as well as the risk of Multiresistant micro-organisms.

It is one of the conclusions of the XXXII Congress of the SEMI and the 14th Congress of the Canarian Society of internal medicine which were held in Maspalomas (Gran Canaria) from 26 to 29 October and pays special attention to the most common infectious diseases – pneumonia and urinary tract infection-which in fact are requiring one greater number of hospital admissions in internal medicine.

Thus, the incidence of pneumonia, although it depends on the time of the year, is between 70 and 140 cases per 1,000 income in internal medicine, according to data from the ENEMI study presented at the Congress ”.

With regard to the latest additions to its approach, the expert from the SEMI highlights easier to diagnose your viral etiology, to dispose of rapid molecular biology techniques that identify the main respiratory viruses. With regard to their processing, can be considered the concept of pneumonia associated with health care, which requires to assess the possible existence of risk factors for Multiresistant bacteria in these patients ”.

In particular, the ENEMI study emphasizes that 30% of the entry into service of internal medicine cases correspond to this concept of pathologies associated with health care. According to Dr. Capdevila pneumonia in this group affect elderly patients and with many Comorbidities ”.

The ENEMI also demonstrates the heterogeneity in the handling of pneumonias and little relevance to the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines. Here ”, said the expert, there are many points of improvement ”.

Urinary tract infection is also a very prevalent in the population senile and pluripatológica pathology. The difficulty for the clinic, says Dr. Capdevila, resides in discern whether they really are true infections or simple asymptomatic bacteriurias. The expert concludes that did not successfully complete this exercise involves a wasteful consumption of antibiotics to allegedly treat bacteria that are often multiresistant, with what it does rather than contribute to the further development of new resistance ”.