Makes it difficult for the body to fight off infections or diseases like pneumococcal pneumonia, even in healthy adults.
Age 50-64: risk increases at least 3 times for invasive pneumococcal disease
Age 65 and older have a 6-times increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease
Pneumococcus is the most common and dangerous cause of meningitis in adults. The mortality rate is high at 17%.
The risk of pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease increases with age.
TAP THE ICON to learn more about the type of infection
SEPSIS
(presence of bacteria in the bloodstream)
A life-threatening condition
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Confusion or altered mental status
Complications:
- Limb amputation
- 1 in 8 adults with pneumococcal sepsis dies from the infection
MENINGITIS
(infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord)
Symptoms:
- Stiff neck
- Fever and headache
- Sensitivity to light
- Confusion or altered consciousness
- Vomiting, poor appetite
- Fatigue
Complications:
- 1 in 6 adults with pneumococcal meningitis dies from the infection
- High risk of neurological impairment or hearing loss after recovery
INVASIVE PNEUMONIA
(lung infection with bacteria present in the blood)
Symptoms:10
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Productive sputum
- Pleuritic chest pain
Complications:11
- 30-day mortality is significantly higher in patients with bacteremic pneumonia (28.6%) compared to non-bacteremic cases (8.5%)
- Infection-related mortality is also higher in bacteremic pneumonia (19.5%) vs. non-bacteremic (4%)
ECONOMIC BURDEN
due to pneumococcal pneumonia occur each year in the United States.5
was spent annually on the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the United States. (1996-1998).6
higher: The healthcare costs for high-risk individuals with pneumonia compared to healthy individuals.7
Prevention For Elder
Preventing pneumococcal disease is supported by the following measures:8
- Strengthening immune resistance through nutrition
- Maintaining household and environmental hygiene
- Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol usage
- Reduce HIV transmission
Consult your doctor for effective preventive methods.
CDC recommends prevention for high-risk groups such as:9
Your child may be at increased risk.
Your may be at increased risk
Worth your attention.Pneumococcus can lead to life-threatening diseases
What is Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD)?
Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a serious infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae when the bacteria invade normally sterile areas of the body, such as the bloodstream or the central nervous system. IPD includes conditions such as meningitis, sepsis (bacteremia), and invasive pneumonia. 2
How is pneumococcal disease transmitted?
Pneumococcal disease spreads through direct contact with respiratory secretions, such as saliva or mucus. Children who are not vaccinated are at higher risk of infection, partly because their immune systems are not yet fully developed. 2
What are pneumococcal serotypes?
Pneumococcal serotypes are classified based on differences in the structure of the bacterial capsule. Different serotypes can cause infections ranging from mild to severe, depending on the characteristics of each strain. Although there are over 100 known serotypes, only a subset is responsible for most serious infections.3
How dangerous is pneumococcal disease for adults?
Severe cases of pneumococcal disease in adults can lead to death, neurological complications, hearing loss, developmental delays, or even limb loss.6
References
(1) Weyand, C. M., & Goronzy, J. J. (2016). Aging of the immune system. Mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 13(Supplement 5), S422-S428.
(2) Pelton, S. I., Bornheimer, R., Doroff, R., Shea, K. M., Sato, R., & Weycker, D. (2019). Decline in pneumococcal disease attenuated in older adults and those with comorbidities following universal childhood PCV13 immunization. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 68(11), 1831-1838.
(3) Buchholz, G., Koedel, U., Pfister, H. W., Kastenbauer, S., & Klein, M. (2016). Dramatic reduction of mortality in pneumococcal meningitis. Critical Care, 20, 1-9.
(4) CDC tại https://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/signs-symptoms/index.html. Truy cập 30/3/25
(5) CDC tại https://www.cdc.gov/pinkbook/hcp/table-of-contents/chapter-17-pneumococcal-disease.html. Truy cập 30/3/25
(6) Colice, G. L., Morley, M. A., Asche, C., & Birnbaum, H. G. (2004). Treatment costs of community-acquired pneumonia in an employed population. Chest, 125(6), 2140-2145.
(7) Weycker, D., Farkouh, R. A., Strutton, D. R., Edelsberg, J., Shea, K. M., & Pelton, S. I. (2016). Rates and costs of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia in persons with underlying medical conditions. BMC Health Services Research, 16, 1-10.
(8) Mulholland, K. (1999). Strategies for the control of pneumococcal diseases. Vaccine, 17, S79-S84.
(9) CDC tại https://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/vaccines/index.html. Truy cập 30/3/25
(10) Bacteremic Pneumonia in Neutropenic
Patients With Cancer. Causes, Empirical Antibiotic Therapy, and Outcome Jordi Carratala, MD, PhD; Beatriz Roson, MD; Alberto Ferna´ ndez-Sevilla, MD, PhD;
Fernando Alcaide, MD; Francesc Gudiol, MD, PhD.
(11) Risk factors and pathogenic significance of bacteremic pneumonia in adult patients with community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia Cheol-In Kang a,l , Jae-Hoon Song a,b,l, *, So Hyun Kim b , Doo Ryeon Chung a,l , Kyong Ran Peck a,l , Visanu Thamlikitkul c,l , Hui Wang d,k,l , Thomas Man-kit So e,l,n , Po-Ren Hsueh f,l , Rohani Md. Yasin g,l , Celia C. Carlos h,l , Pham Hung Van i,l ,Jennifer Perera j,l
