How Common is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a major cause of illness in the United States.¹

Each year:¹

• People get pneumonia in daily life through the home or workplace (community-acquired pneumonia). Community-acquired pneumonia does not include cases of pneumonia contracted in a health care facility (such as a nursing home or a hospital). Pneumonia is more common during the winter months.
• About 1 million of the people who get community-acquired pneumonia each year will have to go to the hospital.
• About 60,000 cases result in death.

People older than 65 years:²

• Make up about one-third of all cases of community-acquired pneumonia.
• Are hospitalized more often and stay longer in the hospital than younger people.

References

Citations

1. Katz JT (2009). Pneumonia and other pulmonary infections. In EG Nabel, ed., ACP Medicine, section 7, chap. 20. Hamilton, ON: BC Decker.

2. Niederman MS (2004). Pneumonia, including community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia. In JD Crapo et al., eds., Baum's Textbook of Pulmonary Diseases, 7th ed., vol. 1, pp. 424–454. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	R. Steven Tharratt, MD, MPVM, FACP, FCCP - Pulmonology, Critical Care Medicine, Medical Toxicology
Last Revised	March 17, 2011