Recurrent pneumonia is defined as two or more episodes of nontuberculous pulmonary infection separated by at least a one-month asymptomatic interval, complete radiographic clearing of the infiltrate, or both. Recurrent pneumonia most commonly occurs in patients with underlying lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD or bronchiectasis, immunocompromised patients, and those with a local obstructive process such as a tumor. An episode of community-acquired pneumonia can predispose the patient to a second episode by a local loss of resistance in the lung parenchyma or by persistence of a virulent organism. Physiologic mechanisms of recurrence vary depending on the underlying cause of recurrence but can include depressed immune response, alterations of mucociliary clearance, decreased surfactant, or local obstruction. Aspiration pneumonia is a common cause of recurrent pneumonia, especially in older patients, patients with dementia or other neurologic disorders, and those with substance abuse. There is some debate about the expected time course of clinical and radiographic resolution of pneumonia, and much of the data is from older case series.
Pneumonia is an illness that seems to affect seniors in a radically different way than it does people in other age groups. But does it actually target seniors the way it seems to? Find out more about what pneumonia is, what causes it, how to prevent it, and whether seniors contract it in different ways from people in other age groups. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that affects the tiny air sacs known as alveoli. In some cases, the alveoli become inflamed as a result of infection, which makes breathing difficult and makes the lungs function less effectively to oxygenate our blood. In other cases, the alveoli become infected and fill up with fluid such as pus.
Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi cause it. The infection causes inflammation in the air sacs in your lungs, which are called alveoli.
Recurrent pneumonia is defined as 3 or more episodes of pneumonia in a lifetime or 2 or more episodes within a six-month period. Pneumonia is often diagnosed clinically without the utilization of a chest radiograph CXR. If symptoms resolve as expected, a follow-up CXR may not be obtained even if there was an initial CXR at the time of diagnosis. If the radiographic abnormality is persistent, particularly in a specific area of the lung, a congenital anomaly or airway obstruction is more likely than if the abnormalities come and go and are found in different regions of the lung.