Intra-abdominal sepsis in elderly persons

Elderly patients represent a greater percentage of the population now than ever before, with 12.4% of North Americans being >65 years of age. Intra-abdominal illnesses in this population often have different etiologies than those seen in younger populations. Because of a variety of physiologic changes that occur as people age, elderly persons have different sites of infection, may present with vague symptoms and longer histories, are more gravely ill, and, overall, have worse prognoses. The major causes of intra-abdominal sepsis in elderly persons are reviewed, explanations for the differences in presentation and prognosis are offered, and the treatments of each cause are reviewed.