Pneumonia costs US $10bn in 2011 – CDC

“Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization and death among adults in the United States and in 2011 the medical costs exceeded $10 billion,” CDC said”.

According to CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Most of the time doctors are unable to pinpoint a specific cause of pneumonia. We urgently need more sensitive, rapid tests to identify causes of pneumonia and to promote better treatment.

The CDC came out with the findings based on Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community (EPIC), which was a population-based study that used chest x-rays and extensive diagnostic methods to determine the incidence and etiology of community-acquired pneumonia hospitalizations among U.S. adults.

“Participants in the study were enrolled from January 2010 through June 2012 in three hospitals in Chicago and two in Nashville. Study participants provided specimens that were tested for viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens.

“During the study, the EPIC team enrolled 2,488 eligible adults, of which 2,320 (93 percent) had radiographically confirmed pneumonia. The median age of study participants was 57 years.

“The researchers detected viruses in 27 percent of patients and bacteria in 14 percent of patients. Human rhinovirus (HRV) was the most commonly detected virus among pneumonia patients.

“Influenza (flu) was the second most common viral pathogen detected, and there were twice as many pneumonia hospitalizations due to influenza than any other viral pathogen (except HRV) in adults 80 years or older, underscoring the need for improvements in flu vaccine uptake and effectiveness.

“The CDC EPIC study is one of the largest population-based pneumonia studies ever conducted in the United States. It has helped improve understanding of the burden pneumonia places on U.S. adults and children”, CDC said.