risk factors
Last reviewed 01/2018
These include:
- smoking
- alcohol
- preceding viral infections:
- for example influenza predisposing to Streptococcus pneumoniae infection
- bronchial obstruction:
- chronic obstructive airways disease
- bronchial carcinoma
- bronchiectasis e.g. cystic fibrosis
- immunosuppression:
- AIDS
- cytotoxic therapy
- usually involving PCP, CMV or Mycobacterium avium
- intravenous drug abuse, often with Staphylococcus aureus infection
- inhalation from oesophageal obstruction, often associated with anaerobes
- hospitalisation - often involving gram-ve organisms
- underlying predisposing disease:
- diabetes mellitus
- cardiovascular disease