POPE HAS PNEUMONIA IN BOTH LUNGS, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

ROME. — The Vatican says Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both his lungs, after new tests showed a further complication in the condition of the 88-year-old Pope.

The Vatican said late Tuesday that Francis’s respiratory infection also involves asthmatic bronchitis, which required the use of cortisone antibiotic treatment.

“Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” the Vatican said. Nevertheless the Pope is in good spirits and is grateful for the prayers for his recovery, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a late update.

Officials said Monday that the Pope is suffering from a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection.”

WHAT IS A POLYMICROBIAL RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION?

Essentially, it means there’s a mix of bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites growing in someone’s lungs.

“Oftentimes, people will get a bronchitis or an airway infection and that can often start a cascade of multiple problems, including infections in the lungs,” said Dr. Maor Sauler, who specialises in adult pulmonary and critical care medicine at Yale University’s School of Medicine. He said such issues were common in older people whose immune systems might be weaker or had complex health issues.

“It likely means he has more than one organism in his lungs,” Sauler said, explaining that the Pope’s doctors might have to adjust his treatment to make sure the antibiotics attack all the various organisms.

HOW SERIOUS IS THIS?

For someone with the Pope’s medical history — he lost part of his right lung decades ago and has previously had pneumonia — it’s worrying that he’s been hospitalised.

Dr. Nick Hopkinson, medical director of Asthma + Lung UK, said most healthy people would likely recover quickly from bronchitis.

 HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?

That depends. Antibiotic treatments typically take from a few days up to about two weeks. Hopkinson said the Pope might be given various medicines, including ones that people typically take for asthma or conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in addition to getting physiotherapy to help keep his chest as clear as possible.

ARE THERE OTHER ISSUES DOCTORS MIGHT BE CONCERNED ABOUT?

“Even though we can treat pneumonias with antibiotics, pneumonias are also one of the leading causes of death,” said Sauler of Yale University. He said antibiotics don’t work in isolation and that a person’s immune system is also critical to fighting off pneumonia, pointing out that the immune systems in older people aren’t usually as resilient.

“When you’re 88 years old, the age of the Pope, then all of a sudden you have risk factors that make the situation tougher than just a routine pneumonia.” — CBC.