What is pneumonia and how dangerous is it for older adults?
Pneumonia is a common and serious illness. It often begins with cold symptoms. A few days later, the person develops fever, chills, difficulty breathing and worsening cough. Older patients may not have all of these symptoms, but instead have confusion, dizziness, incontinence and/or a decreased appetite. In the United States, pneumonia is the sixth leading cause of death and the number one cause of death from infection. Half of all pneumonia cases are adults over the age of 65, and often they are hospitalized. Older adults are three to five times more likely to die from pneumonia, especially when they develop bacteria in their bloodstream, are from nursing homes or in the intensive care unit.
