Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a leading cause of death and hospitalization, costing health care systems billions of dollars and an estimated 600,000 adult deaths worldwide each year. Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and the term describes a group of illnesses, including invasive infections, such as bacteremia/sepsis and meningitis, as well as pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections. Although all age groups may be affected, the highest rate of pneumococcal disease occurs in young children and older adults. In addition, persons suffering from a wide range of chronic conditions (eg, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and immune deficiencies are at increased risk.

Viral vs Bacterial Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs which affects alveoli. This article looks at the differences between bacterial and viral pneumonia.

Types of Atypical Pneumonia

Pneumonia History

Walking Pneumonia: When to See a Doctor?

Pneumonia Diagnosis

Pneumonia Classification

Pneumonia in Children

Pneumonia Epidemiology

Is Walking Pneumonia Contagious?

How is Walking Pneumonia Treated?

Pneumonia Symptoms & Risk Factors

Walking Pneumonia Versus Bronchitis

See more featured articles »

Walking Pneumonia Versus Common Cold

Pneumonia Treatment

Risk Factors and Walking Pneumonia Prevention

Is Sense of Smell Linked to Pneumonia?

Pneumonia Cause

Walking Pneumonia versus Pneumonia

Who Gets Walking Pneumonia?

Walking Pneumonia

Latest Pneumonia News and Research

Pneumococcal disease may signal undiagnosed blood cancer

Severe pneumococcal disease requiring hospitalization, most commonly pneumonia, can be a sign of previously undiagnosed blood cancer and immunodeficiency in adult patients, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg.

30 Sep 2026

Pharmacist-led reviews improve medication strategies for older cancer patients

There is a pressing need to optimize medication strategies in older adults with cancer, many of whom take ≥5 medications.

23 Sep 2026

World Cup travel and low vaccination fuel Latin American measles outbreaks

Countries in Latin America are being urged to strengthen vaccination and surveillance to fight measles as the region records the highest number of cases in more than two decades, disease experts say.

21 Sep 2026

EVITA clinical trial evaluates oral vitamin C for pre-cancerous blood disorders

Vitamin C boosts the activity of cellular proteins called TET enzymes that help control which genes are turned on or off.

21 Sep 2026

New mRNA vaccine expands flu protection options for older adults

Every fall, millions of Americans heed the call to get their annual flu shot. Getting vaccinated reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from influenza.

20 Sep 2026

New national guidelines developed to improve sepsis-related care

A UVA Health doctor and other leading national experts have developed important new guidelines to improve care for patients who develop sepsis, a dangerous full-body infection that kills at least 350,000 Americans every year.

18 Sep 2026

Wildfire smoke may be more harmful than other air pollution, two Mount Sinai studies find

As climate change drives more frequent and intense wildfires, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have published two large-scale studies showing that wildfire smoke may pose greater health risks than other sources of air pollution, with higher risks of hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease and poorer survival among patients with lung cancer.

18 Sep 2026

New discovery overturns a prevailing model of brain development

For centuries, scientists have thought of the brain as a single, unified organ. But new research led by Stanford Medicine reveals that what we call the brain is two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years.

18 Sep 2026

Wildfire smoke poses greater health risks than other pollution

17 Sep 2026

Can AI find drugs to fight infection?

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterial pathogen that causes life-threatening infections, including pneumonia and meningitis.

17 Sep 2026

Bacterial strains determine pneumonia and meningitis risk from air pollution

Air pollution leads to different risk of bacterial pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis, depending on the subtype of bacteria a person has, new research suggests.

15 Sep 2026

More hospitals are adopting AI, yet the access gap is proving hard to close

A national analysis of 6,166 US hospitals found that specific workflow AI capabilities were associated with higher sepsis bundle completion rates and lower 30-day pneumonia mortality, whereas robotics showed narrower procedural associations. Geographic access remained highly uneven, with about 114.6 million people in the access-analysis population living more than 30 minutes from an AI-enabled hospital, although the observational design prevents causal conclusions.

14 Sep 2026

Autistic people face a fourteen-year deficit in life expectancy

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States face a 14-year deficit in life expectancy, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and University of Colorado Anschutz.

10 Sep 2026

High-dose flu vaccine protects older adults with lung disease

The risk of being hospitalized for flu or pneumonia can be reduced with a high-dose flu vaccine for older people with chronic lung disease, according to the combined results of two large clinical trials presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

8 Sep 2026