Infection and fever in the elderly

The elderly make more frequent use of general podiatric medical services than the younger population. It is therefore important for podiatric physicians to become familiar with the general principles of infectious disease as applied to an elderly population, which is susceptible to a wider spectrum of disease with more subtle and unusual clinical signs and symptoms. This article reviews the diagnosis and evaluation of suspected infection, appropriate laboratory testing, patterns of specific infectious disease syndromes, and antibiotic use in the elderly.