Comparison of multi-space infections of the head and neck in the elderly and non-elderly: Part I the descriptive data

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the difference between the aged patients and non-elderly with multi-space infections of the head and neck.Materials and methodsA retrospective study was conducted on 242 patients receiving treatment for severe multi-space infections of the head and neck region. Demographics, clinical parameters (the coexisting conditions, the etiology, the length between first symptomatic onset and admission, the number of spaces affected, and the distribution of involved spaces), laboratory values (bacteriology, admission blood glucose level, admission white blood cell count, and percent of neutrophil on admission) and treatment parameters (the number of incisions, complications and length of hospital stay) were collected and analyzed for clinical significance. Statistical analyses of the results between groups were performed using the Student t test, Fisher's exact test, and chi-square.ResultsCompared with the non-elderly, the elderly had more system diseases (P = 0.0002), had longer hospital stays (P = 0.02), and developed more frequent complications (P = 0.04).ConclusionThis study has determined the differences in clinical features of patients with multi-space infections of the head and neck by comparing the aged patients to non-elder patients.