Which Individuals Are at Increased Risk of Pneumococcal Disease and Why? Impact of COPD, Asthma, Smoking, Diabetes, And/or Chronic Heart Disease on Community-acquired Pneumonia and Invasive Pneumococcal Disease

Overview

Journal Thorax

Date 2015 Jul 30

PMID 26219979

Citations 133

Authors

Antoni Torres

Francesco Blasi

Nathalie Dartois

Murat Akova

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Pneumococcal disease (including community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease) poses a burden to the community all year round, especially in those with chronic underlying conditions. Individuals with COPD, asthma or who smoke, and those with chronic heart disease or diabetes mellitus have been shown to be at increased risk of pneumococcal disease compared with those without these risk factors. These conditions, and smoking, can also adversely affect patient outcomes, including short-term and long-term mortality rates, following pneumonia. Community-acquired pneumonia, and in particular pneumococcal pneumonia, is associated with a significant economic burden, especially in those who are hospitalised, and also has an impact on a patient's quality of life. Therefore, physicians should target individuals with COPD, asthma, heart disease or diabetes mellitus, and those who smoke, for pneumococcal vaccination at the earliest opportunity at any time of the year.

Citing Articles

Comparing Ultrasound, Chest X-Ray, and CT Scan for Pneumonia Detection.

Al Nufaiei Z, Alshamrani K Med Devices (Auckl). 2025; 18:149-159.

PMID: 40061910 PMC: 11889995. DOI: 10.2147/MDER.S501714.

The Saudi thoracic society guidelines for vaccinations in adult patients with chronic respiratory diseases.

Al Ghobain M, Farahat F, Zeitouni M, Alsowayan W, Al-Awfi S, AlBarrak A Ann Thorac Med. 2025; 20(1):36-48.

PMID: 39926401 PMC: 11804953. DOI: 10.4103/atm.atm_202_24.

Sequelae of Immunocompromised Host Pneumonia.

Salwen B, Mascarenhas E, Horne D, Crothers K, Zifodya J Clin Chest Med. 2025; 46(1):49-60.

PMID: 39890292 PMC: 11790256. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2024.10.004.

The incremental value of aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio combined with CURB-65 in predicting treatment outcomes in hospitalized adult community-acquired pneumonia patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Zhou H, Zhu X, Zhang Y, Xu W, Li S BMC Pulm Med. 2025; 25(1):26.

PMID: 39825277 PMC: 11742778. DOI: 10.1186/s12890-025-03488-1.

Diabetes-inducing effects of bronchial asthma.

Al-Beltagi M, Bediwy A, Saeed N, Bediwy H, Elbeltagi R World J Diabetes. 2025; 16(1):97954.

PMID: 39817208 PMC: 11718464. DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i1.97954.

References

Thomsen R, Kasatpibal N, Riis A, Norgaard M, Sorensen H . The impact of pre-existing heart failure on pneumonia prognosis: population-based cohort study. J Gen Intern Med. 2008; 23(9):1407-13. PMC: 2517996. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-008-0672-3. View

Myint P, Lowe D, Stone R, Buckingham R, Roberts C . U.K. National COPD Resources and Outcomes Project 2008: patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations who present with radiological pneumonia have worse outcome compared to those with non-pneumonic chronic obstructive pulmonary.... Respiration. 2011; 82(4):320-7. DOI: 10.1159/000327203. View

Ehrlich S, Quesenberry Jr C, Van Den Eeden S, Shan J, Ferrara A . Patients diagnosed with diabetes are at increased risk for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and pneumonia but not lung cancer. Diabetes Care. 2009; 33(1):55-60. PMC: 2797986. DOI: 10.2337/dc09-0880. View

Loeb M, Neupane B, Walter S, Hanning R, Chan Carusone S, Lewis D . Environmental risk factors for community-acquired pneumonia hospitalization in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009; 57(6):1036-40. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02259.x. View

Corrales-Medina V, Musher D, Wells G, Chirinos J, Chen L, Fine M . Cardiac complications in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: incidence, timing, risk factors, and association with short-term mortality. Circulation. 2012; 125(6):773-81. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.040766. View

Shea K, Edelsberg J, Weycker D, Farkouh R, Strutton D, Pelton S . Rates of pneumococcal disease in adults with chronic medical conditions. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2015; 1(1):ofu024. PMC: 4324183. DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofu024. View

File Jr T, Marrie T . Burden of community-acquired pneumonia in North American adults. Postgrad Med. 2010; 122(2):130-41. DOI: 10.3810/pgm.2010.03.2130. View

Sun H, Nicolau D, Kuti J . Resource utilization of adults admitted to a large urban hospital with community-acquired pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Chest. 2006; 130(3):807-14. DOI: 10.1378/chest.130.3.807. View

Wyrwich K, Yu H, Sato R, Strutton D, Powers J . Community-acquired pneumonia: symptoms and burden of illness at diagnosis among US adults aged 50 years and older. Patient. 2013; 6(2):125-34. DOI: 10.1007/s40271-013-0013-4. View

10.

Almirall J, Serra-Prat M, Bolibar I, Palomera E, Roig J, Hospital I . Passive smoking at home is a risk factor for community-acquired pneumonia in older adults: a population-based case-control study. BMJ Open. 2014; 4(6):e005133. PMC: 4067857. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005133. View

11.

Sato R, Gomez Rey G, Nelson S, Pinsky B . Community-acquired pneumonia episode costs by age and risk in commercially insured US adults aged ≥50 years. Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2013; 11(3):251-8. PMC: 3663984. DOI: 10.1007/s40258-013-0026-0. View

12.

Suter-Widmer I, Christ-Crain M, Zimmerli W, Albrich W, Mueller B, Schuetz P . Predictors for length of hospital stay in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: results from a Swiss multicenter study. BMC Pulm Med. 2012; 12:21. PMC: 3475050. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2466-12-21. View

13.

Yu H, Rubin J, Dunning S, Li S, Sato R . Clinical and economic burden of community-acquired pneumonia in the Medicare fee-for-service population. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012; 60(11):2137-43. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04208.x. View

14.

Nyboe C, Olsen M, Nielsen-Kudsk J, Johnsen S, Hjortdal V . Risk of pneumonia in adults with closed versus unclosed atrial septal defect (from a nationwide cohort study). Am J Cardiol. 2014; 114(1):105-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2014.03.063. View

15.

Watt J, OBrien K, Benin A, McCoy S, Donaldson C, Reid R . Risk factors for invasive pneumococcal disease among Navajo adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2007; 166(9):1080-7. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwm178. View

16.

Kang C, Song J, Kim S, Chung D, Peck K, Thamlikitkul V . Risk factors and pathogenic significance of bacteremic pneumonia in adult patients with community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia. J Infect. 2012; 66(1):34-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2012.08.011. View

17.

Bartolome M, Almirall J, Morera J, Pera G, Ortun V, Bassa J . A population-based study of the costs of care for community-acquired pneumonia. Eur Respir J. 2004; 23(4):610-6. DOI: 10.1183/09031936.04.00076704. View

18.

Hak E, Bont J, Hoes A, Verheij T . Prognostic factors for serious morbidity and mortality from community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections among the elderly in primary care. Fam Pract. 2005; 22(4):375-80. DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmi020. View

19.

Juthani-Mehta M, de Rekeneire N, Allore H, Chen S, OLeary J, Bauer D . Modifiable risk factors for pneumonia requiring hospitalization of community-dwelling older adults: the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013; 61(7):1111-8. PMC: 3714374. DOI: 10.1111/jgs.12325. View

20.

Kleinman N, Yu H, Beren I, Sato R . Work-related and health care cost burden of community-acquired pneumonia in an employed population. J Occup Environ Med. 2013; 55(10):1149-56. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3182a7e6af. View