Pope’s condition deteriorates: Why is such a fatal pneumonia in the elderly?

The Vatican announced last night that 88-year-old Pope Francis was aggravated, having been hospitalized in recent days with significant respiratory difficulties as a result of pneumonia. Reporting the deterioration of the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church has aroused world concern, but for doctors there is no surprise here. Pneumonia, or pneumonia medical name, is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in old age. Despite the medical development and availability of antibiotics, many seniors are not recovering from the disease, and it continues to be a major cause of mortality among third -year -olds.

Pope, born in 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the name Jorge Mario BergolioIn 2013, he was elected to the first Pope to come from the South American continent. During his tenure, reforms in the Catholic Church led, promoted values ​​of tolerance and reconciliation between religions, and emphasized the importance of compassion towards the weakened in society. But in recent years he has faced many health challenges, including recurrent respiratory problems. Now that he struggles with the deadly disease at an older age, the question arises: Why is such dangerous pneumonia at this age, and how can additional deaths be avoided?

Pneumonia is an infectious disease that affects lung tissue and is usually caused by bacteria, including pneumococcal. In young and healthy, the disease usually passes without complications with appropriate antibiotic treatment, but at the third age the image is completely different. The elderly immune system operates in a weakened way, and sometimes unable to deal with the infection. The bacteria easily penetrate the lungs, quickly multiply, and lead to severe respiratory failure. The symptoms of the disease include high fever, heavy cough, shortness of breath and sometimes the dread of lips due to lack of oxygen. As the disease is aggravated, it can cause multi-systemic damage and collapse of the body’s systems.

The most significant danger is a sharp decrease in blood oxygen levels, caused by inflammatory obstruction of extensive parts of the lungs. When the oxidation is injured, the heart has to work harder, which has another load on the cardiovascular system. Many elderly people suffer from background diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or chronic lung diseases, which make it difficult for their bodies to cope with the extensive injury to the respiratory system. The immune condition of the elderly is also fragile, which makes it difficult for the immune system to overcome the bacteria and viruses. Even if the patient receives antibiotic treatment, dealing with the disease may be challenging, and the patient often needs artificial respiration.

One of the key problems in treating the elderly is the high risk of developing secondary infections during hospitalization. Hospitals are a rich environment in antibiotic resistant bacteria, and when an adult patient stays there for a long period of time, the risk of infection with additional infection is significantly increased.

This is a phenomenon known in recent years a “dual pneumonia” that begins as a fluid or coronal viral disease, on which bacteria “dressed” and causes a secondary infection and is especially common in the hospitals. This situation is even more dangerous, and quickly leads to systems collapse, and the death of the elderly.

Shoshana DamariFrom the biggest singers in Israeli music, is another example of the deadly danger of pneumonia. In 2006, at the age of 82, she was hospitalized in serious condition due to the disease and despite the doctors’ efforts, her body did not stand up. Her death story illustrates the difficulty of the third -year -olds to recover from pneumonia, even when they receive advanced medical treatment.

Despite the worrying data, there are effective ways to reduce the mortality rate from pneumonia among the elderly. One of them is vacation. The Ministry of Health recommends all ages 65 and older, for immune suppression, infants, children and pregnant women, to be vaccinated each year against influenza virus, which is one of the key causes of secondary lung infections.

In addition, a vaccine provides protection from the common varieties of pneumococcal bacteria, which is responsible for most of the bacterial pneumonia in the age of three. The world’s health organizations recommend that the elderly be vaccinated at the same time against Corona who has not disappeared from the world.

Prevention of pneumonia does not only amount to vaccination. The elderly is recommended to maintain a balanced diet, moderate exercise and hygiene maintenance, especially during periods when common respiratory diseases. In addition, family members and therapists must be vigilant for any change in the elderly health – ongoing cough, high fever or shortness of breath are signs that require an immediate appeal to the doctor. Early diagnosis can be the difference between transient disease and dangerous hospitalization.