Why you shouldn't ignore viral pneumonia

How this illness is often an unrecognized killer

- DR. EDSEL MAURICE T. SALVANA

In the last two weeks, I’ve had three elderly patients end up in the hospital with severe pneumonia. This isn’t uncommon in my infectious diseases practice since I help take care of very sick patients with lung infections.

What is unusual about these cases is that they were not caused by the usual bacterial pathogens but instead were caused by viruses. One patient had both influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another had RSV only, and the last one was infected with human metapneumovirus (HMPV).

Most respiratory viruses cause mild disease and resolve with supportive care. These include common cold viruses such as rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, and adenoviruses. These viruses usually stay in the upper airway (the nose, sinuses, mouth, and throat) and cause an upper respiratory tract infection which can be very annoying but is otherwise harmless. We know, however, that some respiratory viruses can attack the lungs and cause a bad pneumonia. Seasonal influenza kills about 290,000 to 650,000 people every year by causing viral pneumonia or exacerbating preexisting comorbid conditions. Pandemic influenza, such as the Spanish flu, killed millions. And of course, the recent Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of viral pneumonia that killed at least seven million people, including nearly 67,000 Filipinos.