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Table of Contents
Pneumonia Overview
How Common Is Pneumonia?
Causes of Pneumonia & Risk Factors
Mortality Rates
Screening and Early Detection
Frequently Asked Questions
Each year, about 1.5 million adults in the United States are diagnosed withpneumonia. Around 1 million of those people are admitted to the hospital, and another 50,000 die from pneumonia or its complications.
Adults aren’t the only ones at risk, either. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in children under age 5 around the world, killing an estimated 16 out of 100 children every year.
In this article, you will learn about the risks of pneumonia based on your age and demographic and how you can lower your risk of complications.
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The most common culprit is a bacteria calledStreptococcus pneumoniae(pneumococcus). Vaccines can protect against up to 20 types of pneumococcal types of pneumonia, but only about two-thirds of adults have received these vaccines and most are 65 and older.
Commonsymptoms of pneumoniacan include:
Types of Pneumonia
Pneumonia
Across the globe, pneumonia is a leading cause of death in children under age 5, but this condition is more common in adults overall.Pneumonia is the top cause of hospitalization in adultsin the United States next to childbirth, and nearly 50,000 people die from it every year in the United States alone.
Pneumonia is less fatal for children in the United States than in other parts of the world. Pneumonia can be especially serious in:
Signs and Treatments for Pneumonia in Kids
Both race and socioeconomic status can impact pneumonia rates, especially in regard to bacterial types of pneumonia known as community-acquired pneumonia. People from non-White ethnic backgrounds are between 1.3 and 23 times more likely to have other health conditions that increase their risk of severe influenza and pneumonia. The Black/White fatality disparity is perhaps the most pronounced, though, with pneumonia deaths 16% higher in Black people compared to White people.
Studies indicate that it is not a physiological difference in these ethnicities that contribute to this disparity but rather factors like:
There doesn’t appear to be a significant link between pneumonia and sex, but age has a significant impact on both infection rates and the severity of illness.
Worldwide, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under age 5, resulting in about 80% of deaths in this age group.Most of these deaths occur in developing countries. Mortality is lower in the United States, but pneumonia is still the top cause of hospitalization in children in the United States.
Older adults are also at an increased risk as their immune systems weaken and the likelihood of having other disease complications rises. In the United States alone, pneumonia carries the highest death rate in people over age 65 compared to the other top 10 reasons for hospitalization.
Overall, the death rate from pneumonia among people aged 65 and older is 93.2 per 100,000 people, but this is better broken down into further age categories.When divided into smaller groups, death rates from pneumonia in 2018 were:
Mortality rates increased for both sexes, but when it comes to older adults, death rates are a bit higher for men than women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
High Risk Isn’t the Only RiskAlthough children and older adults, as well as people with weakened immune systems, are at the highest risk of developing and dying from pneumonia, people of all ages are at risk.The American Thoracic Society shares that in 2019:Half of all adultswithoutimmune disorders who were hospitalized for pneumonia were between the ages of 18 and 57.Half of all deaths from bacterial pneumococcal pneumonia occurred in people aged 18 to 64.
High Risk Isn’t the Only Risk
Although children and older adults, as well as people with weakened immune systems, are at the highest risk of developing and dying from pneumonia, people of all ages are at risk.The American Thoracic Society shares that in 2019:Half of all adultswithoutimmune disorders who were hospitalized for pneumonia were between the ages of 18 and 57.Half of all deaths from bacterial pneumococcal pneumonia occurred in people aged 18 to 64.
Although children and older adults, as well as people with weakened immune systems, are at the highest risk of developing and dying from pneumonia, people of all ages are at risk.
The American Thoracic Society shares that in 2019:
Some of the most common infections that can lead to pneumonia include:
Beyond specific age groups, ethnicities, and infectious agents, there are also a number of other diseases and conditions that can increase your risk of developing pneumonia. Examples of other risk factors for pneumonia include:
In about of 50% of cases of sepsis and septic shock, pneumonia was the underlying cause of infection.
Causes and Risk Factors of Pneumonia
What Are the Mortality Rates for Pneumonia?
A mortality rate is a number that represents the frequency of death due to a specific cause or situation. In many national estimates, the mortality rates of influenza and pneumonia are grouped together, and these rates have declined over the last several decades.
Can You Die From Pneumonia? What to Know
There really is no protocol for screening for pneumonia, but people who are at a higher risk of developing these infections should considervaccination.
There are two types of pneumonia vaccines available in the United States:
Top 20 Vaccines You Should Know About
These vaccines can protect against around 20 of the most common causes of pneumonia and are generally recommended for:
There are some specific criteria for each vaccine as well.
PCV15,PCV20, or PCV21are recommended for:
PPSV23is recommended for:
According to the CDC, just one dose of the previously available PCV13 vaccine can prevent serious infection from pneumococcal disease in:
The PPSV23 vaccine is effective in protecting between 6 and 7 out of 10 adults from pneumococcal disease.
Is Pneumonia Contagious?
Other tips for preventing pneumonia, whether you fall into a high-risk group or not, include:
Summary
Silent Pneumonia: What to Watch for When There’s No Fever
Learn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of Pneumonia
The highest mortality rates for pneumonia are in the very young and the very old or people who are immunocompromised. However, anyone can get pneumonia and become severely ill.Learn MoreWhat Is Hospital Acquired Pneumonia?
The highest mortality rates for pneumonia are in the very young and the very old or people who are immunocompromised. However, anyone can get pneumonia and become severely ill.
Learn MoreWhat Is Hospital Acquired Pneumonia?
The pneumonia vaccine is highly recommended for people of certain ages or with certain medical conditions. Talk to your doctor about vaccination against pneumonia and which vaccine is right for you.Learn MoreDo You Need the Pneumonia Vaccine?
The pneumonia vaccine is highly recommended for people of certain ages or with certain medical conditions. Talk to your doctor about vaccination against pneumonia and which vaccine is right for you.
Learn MoreDo You Need the Pneumonia Vaccine?
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pneumonia.
American Thoracic Society.Top 20 pneumonia facts—2019.
Lippert JF, Buscemi J, Saiyed N, Silva A, Benjamins MR.Influenza and pneumonia mortality across the 30 biggest U.S. cities: assessment of overall trends and racial inequities.J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.May2021. doi:10.1007/s40615-021-01056-x
Ebeledike C, Ahmad T.Pediatric pneumonia. StatPearls [Internet]. January 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Causes of pneumonia.
National Institutes of Health.Pneumonia: causes and risk factors.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pneumococcal vaccination: what everyone should know.
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