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. 2020 Jan 25;8(1):6.
doi: 10.3390/medsci8010006.

Defining Community-Acquired Pneumonia as a Public Health Threat: Arguments in Favor from Spanish Investigators

Catia Cillóniz  1 , Rosario Menéndez  2 , Carolina García-Vidal  3 , Juan Manuel Péricas  4 , Antoni Torres  1
Affiliations

Defining Community-Acquired Pneumonia as a Public Health Threat: Arguments in Favor from Spanish Investigators

Catia Cillóniz et al. Med Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Despite advances in its prevention, pneumonia remains associated with high morbidity, mortality, and health costs worldwide. Studies carried out in the last decade have indicated that more patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) now require hospitalization. In addition, pneumonia management poses many challenges, especially due to the increase in the number of elderly patients with multiple comorbidities, antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and the difficulty of rapid diagnosis. In this new call to action, we present a wide-ranging review of the information currently available on CAP and offer some reflections on ways to raise awareness of this disease among the general public. We discuss the burden of CAP and the importance of attaining better, faster microbiological diagnosis and initiating appropriate treatment. We also suggest that closer cooperation between health professionals and the population at large could improve the management of this largely preventable infectious disease that takes many lives each year.

Keywords: community-acquired pneumonia; pneumonia; pneumonia burden; pneumonia epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of diagnostic test for pneumonia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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