Indian River County seniors have heeded warnings from doctors, pharmacists and public health officials to get vaccinated against pneumonia in greater numbers than those nationally or statewide.
In 2010, the last year for which statistics were available from the County Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data, 73.13 percent of seniors in Indian River County had received the pneumonia vaccine, compared to 69.9 percent of seniors statewide (the nearby counties of St. Lucie and Martin presented similar numbers with 72.16 percent and 75.87 percent respectively of seniors having been vaccinated against pneumonia).
Florida does better than most states in the country in avoiding mortality from pneumonia, for which seniors are particularly at risk. Nationally, 16.8 people per 100,000 people die from pneumonia annually, but that figure is down to 9.1 per 100,000 people per year in Florida. (Along the Treasure Coast, mortlity rates range from 9.26 in the north to 4.56 in the south.)
The lower death rates from pneumonia are probably due to a combination of factors, perhaps including the higher vaccination rates among seniors and our benign climate, which holds down the typical winter respiratory ailments common in the Northeast and elsewhere, which can often lead to pneumonia.
Even with these advances in prevention, pneumonia still kills more than 52,000 people annually in the United States. Pneumonia and influenza, which are grouped together because influenza is often a forerunner to pneumonia, is the eighth leading cause of death among the general population, and the seventh leading cause of death among people over the age of 65. (In Florida, because of the lower incidence of pneumonia, it is only the eleventh leading cause of death.)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, 90 percent of all deaths due to influenza and pneumonia occur among people 65 and older, and 98 percent of those deaths are from pneumonia, not influenza.
The pneumonia vaccine is available at most offices of primary care, geriatrics and pulmonology medical specialties and also at most drug stores. Most medical insurance plans and Medicare do cover the cost of the pneumonia vaccine because of its high preventive value.
“The Florida Department of Health recommends that all adults 65 years or older receive the pneumonia vaccine,” says Sheri Hutchinson of the state Health Department. “The vaccine is also recommended for other individuals at high risk for pneumonia such as persons with poorly functioning immune systems and smokers.”
Apart from immune system deficiencies and smoking, the presence of heart disease and diabetes are additional high-risk factors.
The most universally recommended prevention measures are pretty simple and most people are bound to have heard them before: Stop smoking (if applicable), wash your hands frequently and get vaccinated.
The causes of the disease are complicated and prevention and cures rely on more accurate tracking, which is still difficult, the Health Department says.
Pneumonia is often confused with a cold or a flu, but patients should not try and diagnose themselves. Pneumonia often lasts longer than a cold or a flu, but only a doctor can diagnose it correctly by a variety of methods, including taking a health history and observing symptoms, which often include coughing, fever and difficulty breathing.
After listening to your lungs with a stethoscope for crackling, bubbling or rumbling sounds, a doctor may also order a chest X-ray or blood tests. An X-ray may show opaque or white patches in the lungs if pneumonia is present, and an elevated white blood cell count may also signify an infection.
Treatment generally includes antibiotics or anti-viral medications.
Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria (such as pneumococcus), viruses (such as influenza), fungi or chemical exposure.
A different form of the disease, aspiration pneumonia, is caused by inhaling substances such as food, saliva or vomit. Whatever the cause, the infection results in an inflammation of the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs that can progress to a fatal extent.
