[Influenza morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in elderly patients].

AIM: To analyse correlations between influenza morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in elderly population of Moscow in 1999-2005; to determine age groups at high risk of influenza-caused death and relations between delayed death and influenza morbidity.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The data of official medical statistics according to the form C51 "Distribution of the deceased by age groups and causes of death" and form N 2 "Information about infectious and parasitic diseases" for 1999-2005 were studied. The search for correlations was performed with non-parametrical statistic methods (Spirmen's rank correlation index).

RESULTS

Coefficient of correlation between mortality from all cardiovascular diseases and influenza mortality was 0.7; acute myocardial infarction--0.5; coronary artery disease--0.6; cerebrovascular diseases--0.7; bronchopulmonary pathology--0.7 (p < 0.001). For coronary artery disease a strong correlation was found between influenza morbidity and mortality in age groups 75-79, 80-84 and older; for acute myocardial infarction--75-79 and over 85 years; for cerebrovascular diseases--70-74, 80-84 and over 85 years; for bronchopulmonary diseases--70-74 and 80-84 years; for pneumonia--65-69, 80-84 and over 85 years (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Influenza is a dangerous infection for elderly persons with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as it strongly correlates with mortality from coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular and bronchopulmonary diseases, pneumonia.