Abstract
Although pneumonia is currently considered the eighth leading cause of death in the
United States this estimate includes only short-term mortality. Evidence suggests
that pneumonia may have significant longer-term effects and that hospitalization for
pneumonia is associated with higher long-term mortality than for many other major
medical conditions. Reasons for this increased mortality appear to be due to several
factors, including cardiovascular disease, neoplasms, and alterations in immune function.
Clinicians need to be aware that even for those patients who survive the initial episode
of pneumonia there will still be an impact upon their potential survival for the coming
years.
Keywords
community-acquired pneumonia - mortality - prognosis - long-term effects - pneumonia
- long-term mortality