Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe went to hospital with pneumonia on Friday and is expected to miss the team’s next two matches after being absent for the Magpies’ 4-1 victory against Manchester United over the weekend.
While he is thought to be on the road to recovery, pneumonia can be deadly. There is also a whole host of reasons why any one person may be more susceptible to the illness than their peers.
Here are all the common, and uncommon, ways you can contract pneumonia – and how serious the condition can get.
Pneumonia is usually infectious and is caught when another person with the illness coughs, sneezes or talks in your direction, spreading small respiratory droplets through the air.
You can also catch pneumonia – which is an inflammation of the lungs – by simply touching an object an infectious person has been in contact with before you touch your nose or mouth, although this is a less common way of contracting the infection.
Catching pneumonia through a bacterial or viral infection is most usual, with bacterial pneumonia often presenting with more sudden and severe symptoms like a very high fever and a wet cough.
Fungal pneumonia is much less common and is not contagious.
Can you get pneumonia from a common cold or poor oral hygiene?
Viruses that can lead to pneumonia can be found in the common cold, flu or COVID-19.
According to the American Lung Association, most cases of flu do not lead to pneumonia, “but those that do tend to be more severe and deadly”.
Meanwhile, Dr Carrie Ward, a primary care physical at Keck Medicine of USC said pneumonia caused by COVID-19 “typically affects both lungs and is associated with a great deal of inflammation”.
Pneumonia can be a very serious illness and can cause death (Photo: Getty)One unexpected way pneumonia can be brought about is by inhaling something other than air into your lungs, like food or water, carrying harmful bacteria. This form of pneumonia, called aspiration pneumonia, can also be caused if someone has been vomiting or has severe acid reflux.
Poor oral hygiene may increase the likelihood of contracting aspiration pneumonia. To reduce your chances, the NHS recommends brushing your teeth at least twice a day, removing food debris with cotton wool and applying lip moisturiser.
Any chronic condition, whether it be diabetes, lung infections or heart disease, can make you more at risk of contracting pneumonia, along with having a weakened immune system.
For anyone taking immunosuppressants – medicine taken by those who have an overactive immune system or have had a transplant, for instance – the likeliness of getting pneumonia is greater.
Lifestyle choices can also play a part, with smoking an unbalanced diet and a high level of alcohol consumption making people more prone to the illness.
How serious can it get?
There is a wide range of severity when it comes to pneumonia.
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The NHS website says: “Most people get better in 2 to 4 weeks, but babies, older people, and people with heart or lung conditions are at risk of getting seriously ill and may need treatment in hospital.”
“You’ll usually be given antibiotics to treat pneumonia,” it adds.
Walking pneumonia is on the less severe end of the scale and its mild symptoms include a sore throat, fatigue and a cough.
It can be a very serious illness, however, and can cause death. “Complications from pneumonia include respiratory failure, sepsis and lung abscess,” says the American Lung Association.
Double pneumonia, where both lungs, not just one, are affected, is even more severe and potentially more fatal.
If you are showing acute symptoms of pneumonia, like battling a cough for over three weeks, coughing up blood or feeling short of breath, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111.
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