Scientists advise that community-acquired pneumonia can spread all year round

Researchers in Spain have found that community-acquired pneumonia can spread throughout the year, and should therefore not be considered a seasonal condition.

Pneumonia, which is normally caused by an infection in the lungs, is the swelling, or inflammation, of the tissue in one or both lungs. Community-acquired pneumonia is a type of pneumonia people get when they come into contact with the infection in their daily lives rather than in a hospital.

As part of the study, published in the journal, Respirology, scientists looked at data on people who were treated in a hospital in Spain for community-acquired pneumonia over a 12-year period. The researchers believe that this is the largest-scale study of this kind.

They found that, while community-acquired pneumonia occurred more frequently in winter, two-thirds of cases occurred in spring, autumn, and summer combined. Therefore, they suggest that the condition not be considered a seasonal one.

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Read the abstract of the journal article.

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