11/26/01
Just about this time every year, people are scrambling to get a flu shot before the influenza season begins. But this is also a good time to consider being immunized against another common disease—pneumonia.
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection. It is a serious illness that affects 1 out of 100 people each year. Although there are different types of pneumonia, the most serious and common form is caused by bacteria. While the bacteria usually invade the lungs, the bloodstream or the brain may also be attacked, resulting in a bacteremia or meningitis. Every year in the United State, pneumococcal disease accounts for 500,000 cases of pneumonia, 50,000 cases of blood disease (bacteremia), and 3,000 cases of meningitis, resulting in 40,000 deaths annually.
Pneumococcus bacteria are present in healthy throats. As people age or become weakened from some other illness or malnutrition, these bacteria multiply and become harmful. Symptoms begin to appear, such as fever, chills with shaking, wet cough (greenish mucus-like sputum produced), fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes joint and muscular stiffness. Sharp or stabbing chest pain, which may be increased by deep breathing and/or coughing, is also likely to occur. Less common symptoms that may be associated with pneumococcal disease include shortness of breath, excessive sweating, clammy skin, rapid breathing, coughing up blood, abdominal pain, and anxiety.
If the illness is caused by the pneumococcal bacteria, it is treated with antibiotics. (Viral pneumonia will not be helped by antibiotic treatment.) Sometimes respiratory treatment and oxygen are also required. Most people respond to antibiotic treatment and improve within two weeks. However, elderly people and those whose have weakened immune systems may not respond to treatment; they may die from respiratory failure or a blood infection. (In fact, 20-30% of people over age 65 who contract pneumococcal pneumonia develop bacteremia, and about 20% of those people die from this disorder even if they do receive antibiotics.)
Because pneumococcal pneumonia is so serious, the U.S. Public Health Service, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and the American Lung Association all recommend that all people over the age of 65 get the pneumonia vaccine. Additionally, people with chronic disease such as cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, diabetes, cirrhosis, some forms of kidney disease, and sickle cell disease should be immunized, as should anyone without a spleen or with a weakened immune system (people with AIDS, organ transplant recipients, etc.). Members of high-risk ethnic groups, such as African Americans, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives should get the pneumonia shot as well.
Although a pneumonia shot may be administered at any time of the year, many flu clinics offer pneumonia shots in addition to the flu shot, and both can be given at the same time. The pneumonia vaccine protects against 23 types of pneumococci, which are the bacteria most likely to cause pneumonia in adults. After the pneumonia shot is given, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to take effect, and then lasts many years. Most people need to get the shot only once, but some older people or those with certain medical conditions may need to be revaccinated one more time after 5 years.
Unfortunately, many people do not get the pneumonia shot. Estimates indicate only 30% of those 65 and older have been immunized, and only 8 to 10% of other high-risk people have received the pneumonia shot. (Connecticut’s senior citizens rank higher than the national average, with about 37% of those over age 65 having been immunized.) Some people fear the shot will make them ill, but this is not true. The vaccine does not contain live bacteria and cannot give people pneumonia. Although the vaccine does not protect all people from all forms of pneumonia, it does offer protection against 88% of the pneumococcal bacteria that cause pneumonia. And Medicare does pay for this immunization.
If you are an adult and have not had pneumonia shot, talk with your doctor at your next examination to see if you should be immunized. For further information about pneumonia, or the pneumonia shot, contact the Central Connecticut Health District at 721-2822.