Pneumonia: A Disease Without a Season
Summer is a time when people are typically thinking about fun in the sun and less about guarding themselves against diseases that typically come in the winter time. However, there is at least one common illness that people can contract any time of year: pneumonia. That’s why area doctors are encouraging older adults to protect themselves from the malady now.
According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention美国疾病控制与预防中心(CDC)表示，每年约有90万美国人患上肺炎，这是一种由细菌、病毒或真菌引起的肺部感染。布莱恩·柯蒂斯博士是伊利诺伊州皮奥里亚市OSF医疗保健医生。他说，预防这种疾病的最好方法是接种疫苗，而对某些人群来说，不接种疫苗会带来重大风险。
“It could cause you to be admitted to the hospital. And at times when that happens, the pneumococcal bacteria gets into your bloodstream and you develop what we call sepsis, and people have been admitted to the ICU, placed on the ventilator and have died from it,” warned Dr. Curtis.
Dr. Curtis added, this is especially the case with older individuals. In 2021, pneumonia killed nearly 50,000 people in the U.S; about 84% of them were older than age 65.
“People over the age of 65 are more susceptible to having bad outcomes from any type of virus or bacterial illness and it’s just an age-related phenomenon," he said. "Their immune system is just not as effective as it was at a younger age.”
Dr. Curtis says anyone with weakened immune systems and children under the age of two are also at a higher risk for pneumonia.
There are two pneumococcal vaccines recommended for older adults. Dr. Curtis recommends discussing those options with a health care provider to determine which immunization is best for you. If you don’t have a primary care physician, visitosfhealthcare.orgto find one near you.