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Pneumonia is very common.

Every year, about 4 million people in the United States get pneumonia. That means 12 people in every 1,000 will get it.¹

Pneumonia is very serious. And sometimes it is life-threatening. Before antibiotics were discovered, about 1 person died for every 3 people who got bacterial pneumonia.¹ (Antibiotics are the drugs used to kill bacteria.)

Antibiotics work for most cases of pneumonia. And the risk of dying from pneumonia has dropped dramatically since doctors started using them. But pneumonia is still the sixth most common cause of death in the United States.

And among infectious diseases (those that can be passed from one person to another), it is the most common cause of death. About 1 in 20 people who get pneumonia die from it.² Of people who have severe pneumonia and need intensive care in the hospital, about 1 in 3 die.² Elderly people are especially likely to get seriously ill and die if they get pneumonia.

It's also important to know that:

• More black Americans die from pneumonia than white Americans. About 24 black Americans in every 100,000 die from pneumonia and the flu each year, compared with about 19 white Americans in every 100,000.³
• Alaskan Natives and American Indians are eight to 10 times more likely than other Americans to get a serious complication from pneumonia caused by bacteria called pneumococci. It's known as pneumococcal bacteremia. This is when the infection spreads from your lungs to your blood. From there, it may spread to other areas of your body, such as your nervous system. This is a serious condition that needs to be treated in the hospital. Researchers do not know why Alaskan Natives and American Indians are more likely to get this complication
• More men die from pneumonia than women. Nearly 27 men in every 100,000 die from pneumonia and the flu each year in the United States, compared with about 19 women in every 100,000.³ This is probably because if you're an older man, you're more likely than a woman to have other lung diseases or heart disease. If you have a lung disease or heart disease, you are more likely to get pneumonia.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.