Why Pneumonia Often Attacking Elderly?

Pneumonia -- Former US President George H.W. Bush admitted to hospital on January 14 after a bout of pneumonia. Former First Lady Barbara Bush was hospitalized, because of fatigue and cough.

US president-41 aged 92, while Barbara Bush pneumonia aged 91. Why the elderly are often involved?

One reason is immune to decline after the age of 50 years. "So it is not surprising if someone over 90 years of experience weakened immunity," said Dr. Len Horowitz, lung specialist from Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City.

Pneumonia is characterized by inflammation in the lungs are common in winter. In addition, there are also other respiratory diseases like flu that spreads in winter the northern hemisphere.

"Doctors always taking care of the elderly in the hospital if they are exposed to pneumonia and hospital care is very important when the elderly also have other medical problems," said Horovitz.

Although he did not know the specific health condition of the former president, Horovitz noted that Bush uses a wheelchair.

This could mean Bush also have health problems nerves which can also mean less effective cough clears mucus or secretions from the lungs as others stronger.

The therapy is used to treat patients with pneumonia depends on whether the disease is caused by a virus or bacteri.

Pneumonia due to virus tends to be contagious, but causes less severe infections than bacteria.

Often doctors prescribe antibiotics which are not even known whether the pneumonia is caused by viruses or bacteria as a precaution in order not missed with a bacterial infection.

For elderly patients with pneumonia, doctors should be more cautious provide definitive prognosis.

"Pneumonia is not always direct. In someone who is frail with weakened immune because of old age, there are concerns that people have complications," he said.

Bacterial pneumonia, for example, can get into a person's bloodstream and spread throughout the body. "Complications include kidney failure and abscess formation," he said.

Pneumonia can trigger a series of events leading to a multi-attack.

Vaccines are available for the elderly so that telindungi from some kind of bacterial pneumonia. All senior citizens over 65 years old should get the vaccine, according to the provisions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States.