On the 27th, the National Statistical Office released a report titled ‘Results of Statistics on Causes of Death in 2021’. According to the report, a total of 307,680 people died last year, and the most common cause of death was cancer (malignant neoplasm), which accounted for 26.0% of the total. This was followed by heart disease (9.9%), pneumonia (7.2%), cerebrovascular disease (7.1%), and intentional self-harm (suicide) (4.2%). In terms of age, suicide was the most common cause of death in the teens to 30s, and cancer following the 40s.
Malignant neoplasms (cancer), heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia, and suicide are not omitted from the statistics of last year as well as major causes of death in Korea. In particular, in the case of pneumonia, the death rate per 100,000 people was 17.2% in 2011, which was the 6th cause of death, and it increased more than 2.5 times to 44.43% in 2021, making it the third cause of death. appeared to be necessary.
Pneumonia is a disease in which the lungs are inflamed by various pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. The lungs, which exist for respiration, are inevitably exposed to air through the airways. In this process, pathogens enter through the airways, and inflammation usually begins.
With the onset of the changing season with a large daily temperature difference, the number of cases of pneumonia among patients visiting hospitals with cold symptoms is increasing. Pneumonia is often confused with a cold, flu, or COVID-19 because symptoms such as cough, sputum, and fever appear. Symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain, and headache may appear depending on the individual’s health condition or the site of pneumonia.
The elderly are easily infected from external pathogens due to reduced immunity and lung function, but in 20-30% of cases, the disease progresses asymptomatically and the treatment time is missed and symptoms worsen and then in some cases, pneumonia is diagnosed.
Therefore, if symptoms such as high fever, shortness of breath, purulent sputum, and lethargy appear along with the symptoms of a cold, you must be diagnosed with pneumonia by a respiratory internal medicine specialist.
When visiting a medical institution, a chest X-ray is taken along with a questionnaire. If pneumonia is diagnosed, a sputum test to find the causative organism, a blood test to check inflammation, and a CT scan or bronchoscopy can be performed if necessary.
Since the causative bacteria of pneumonia are known to be more than 90 types in addition to the generally known pneumococci, it is important to identify the causative bacteria and implement appropriate antibiotic treatment to treat pneumonia. Depending on the causative organism, medications such as antibiotics should be taken, and adequate rest, hydration and nutrition should be provided.
Most healthy adults can be cured through antibiotic treatment, but patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, infants with weakened immunity, and the elderly over 65 years of age can lose their lives from pneumonia or complications.
Director Lee Kyu-min of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Daedong Hospital said, “If there is a disease that needs to be looked at carefully from the changing seasons when the morning and evening temperatures start to show due to the large day-to-day temperature to the cold winter, it is pneumonia. “There are many people who suffer from complications such as pleurisy and severe respiratory distress syndrome if the treatment period is prolonged due to an abscess, etc.
The basis of all disease prevention is hand washing. Washing your hands well can take care of your personal health, so you should make it a habit. Pneumonia is transmitted through the respiratory system like the flu, so patients at high risk for pneumonia, such as the elderly, infants, and chronically ill, should avoid going out in crowded places and pay attention to personal hygiene by washing hands and wearing masks. If you are a smoker, you should quit smoking, drink enough water and manage nutrition, maintain a healthy state through physical activity, and develop immunity through balanced nutrition and easy exercise.
It’s important to get your flu shot before winter starts. Influenza viruses often cause viral pneumonia or bacterial pneumonia due to secondary infection. In addition, in the case of pneumococcus, one of the many bacteria that cause pneumonia, it is possible to prevent it by vaccination, so chronic disease patients or the elderly with weakened immunity should receive it to reduce the risk of pneumonia.
