Why is pneumonia so dangerous?
Why is pneumonia so dangerous?
If you catch it, pneumonia can be serious and life threatening:
- Over 550,000 finished consultant episodes per year are due to pneumonia; and it is estimated 1 in 5 pneumonia admissions are in people under 65.†,1
- A study has shown pneumonia to be a risk factor for heart attacks or stroke episodes, with a 4 fold increase in the first 30 days following pneumonia in hospitalised patients.2
- Combined with influenza, it is one of the most common causes of death due to infection in men and women3
†England in 2018/19
PP-VAC-GBR-0752
References
- Hospital episodes statistics data 2018/19. Available at: https://files.digital.nhs.uk/05/A594E3/hosp-epis-stat-admi-rep-tabs-2018-19-tab.xlsx. Last accessed November 2019.
- Corrales-Medina VF., Alvarez KN., Weissfeld LA., et al. Association between hospitalization for pneumonia and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease. JAMA. 2015;313(3):264-74.
- Office for National Statistics. Deaths registered in England and Wales. Deaths: underlying cause, sex age-group, 2018. Table 9: Leading causes of death by age-group, sex numbers and percentages, 2018. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=%2fpeoplepopulationandcommunity%2fbirthsdeathsandmarriages%2fdeaths%2fdatasets%2fdeathsregisteredinenglandandwalesseriesdrreferencetables%2f2018/referencetablesfinalv22.xlsx. Last accessed November 2019.
