Pneumonia is responsible for 16 deaths per day in Portugal.

November 12th marks World Pneumonia Day, a disease that continues to be the leading cause of respiratory mortality in Portugal, with approximately 16 deaths per day.

“Pneumonia represents a significant public health problem, given its association with long hospital stays, high healthcare costs, and a particularly high mortality rate, especially in the elderly and chronically ill,” warns Pilar Azevedo of the Portuguese Society of Pneumology.

The pneumonia mortality rate in Portugal is one of the highest in Europe, with values ​​exceeding 57 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, accounting for approximately 4.2% of total mortality in the country. In 2023, approximately 5,042 deaths from pneumonia were recorded, representing an increase compared to the previous year.

"This high mortality rate is related to the aging population, the high number of comorbidities and risk factors, such as smoking and immunosuppression," explains the pulmonologist.

Pneumonia is still responsible for around 80 hospital admissions daily and, according to Pilar Azevedo, although the data shows "a slight recent decrease in hospitalization rates, the prevalence remains high due to the aging population and the persistence of risk factors".

The average age of patients hospitalized for pneumonia is 76.8 years, with the majority presenting at least one comorbidity and 8.9% having three or more associated comorbidities.

Elderly people aged 65 and over (due to aging immune systems and frequently associated comorbidities), children (especially those under two years old), people with chronic diseases (such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and kidney failure), immunocompromised individuals, including those with HIV), people undergoing cancer treatment, smokers, and patients with a history of alcoholism are the most susceptible populations. These groups “are also more likely to develop serious complications, such as respiratory failure, sepsis, and consequent death, if pneumonia is not treated early,” warns the pulmonologist.

Regarding the main symptoms that the population should be aware of, as they indicate "the need for clinical evaluation for diagnosis and appropriate treatment," Pilar Azevedo highlights: persistent high fever and chills, productive cough (especially with purulent, yellowish, greenish, or bloody sputum), difficulty breathing with a feeling of shortness of breath, chest pain when breathing deeply or coughing, extreme fatigue, intense sweating, loss of appetite, mental confusion (particularly in the elderly, which can be an early sign of severity), inability to remain active, or rapid worsening of symptoms.

On behalf of the SPP (Portuguese Society of Pneumology), the coordinator of the Respiratory Infectious Diseases Working Group also recommends some preventive measures that can be adopted to minimize the epidemiological impact of pneumonia in our country:

• Pneumococcal vaccination – which has high national uptake among children, but is still insufficient among adults to achieve ideal group protection;
• Annual flu vaccination: reduces the risk of secondary pneumonia after viral infection;
• Promoting respiratory and hand hygiene to reduce transmission;
• Combating smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, strengthening respiratory immunity;
• Public education on recognizing the symptoms of pneumonia and the need to seek medical attention.