Pope Francis has bilateral pneumonia

Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized, has bilateral pneumonia, said the Vatican on Tuesday.

This term simply means pneumonia in both lungs, said Dr. James Musser, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at Houston Methodist Research Institute. He added that without examining the patient he could not say anything specific about his condition.

In general, pneumonia is an infection of compact pulmonary respiratory tract. When the body mounting inflammatory reaction, compact pockets in the lungs are filled with immune cells; Symptoms may include fever, cough and trembling chills. To diagnose the disease, the doctor usually asks the patient to say a long “e” as if that person was singing. Through the “E” stethoscope with the lungs sounds like “A”, said Dr. Paul Pottinger, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Washington.

Most people with pneumonia regain well at home and do not have to be hospitalized. But for the elderly, pneumonia can be a “deadly situation”, said experts for infectious diseases.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of California in San Francisco, added that “the mortality rate increases after 85.” The pope is 88 and there is no part of one lung after the pulmonary surgery in 1957.

The most likely cause of pneumonia is an infection caused by bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, according to Dr. Chin-Hong. “The cause of pneumonia No. 1, 2 and 3 is pneumonia,” he said.

The disease can react to antibiotics, but bacteria can sometimes spill from the lungs to the rest of the body, which causes sepsis, a perilous situation. Dr. Chin-Hong said that the vaccine can assist reduce the risk of sepsis, but does not prevent.

Dr. Pottinger noticed that although strep pneumonia can cover both lungs, it is usually restricted to one lung lung. He said that most of the bilateral pneumonia were caused by viruses, including flu or other bacteria. Dr. Pottinger said that other reasons include a respiratory synccitial virus or RSV, Legionella, Mycoplasma and Chlamydia.

He agreed with Dr. Chin-Hong about the likely gravity of the Pope’s state.

“This is a very scary situation,” said Dr. Pottinger.