Pneumonia Vaccines and Chronic Illness

Editor's Note: This article was written by Canadian Pharmacist and originally appeared on our partner site, COPD.net.

Is it time to get caught up on your vaccinations? One vaccine that is highly recommended for people with lung and other chronic conditions is the pneumococcal vaccine.

This article will outline why this vaccine is important and highlight the 2 types of pneumonia vaccines available. As always, your specialist, doctor, nurse, or pharmacist can provide you with more individualized recommendations on whether you should receive this vaccine.

What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a very serious infection of the lungs caused by various bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It is a leading cause of death in the world. Examples of infections that cause pneumonia include:¹

• Influenza virus
• COVID-19 virus
• Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) bacteria

What is the link between pneumonia and COPD?

People with COPD are more likely to get pneumonia. In fact, in the first year of a COPD diagnosis, people are 16 times more likely to acquire pneumonia than those without COPD. In addition, COPD is most common comorbidity in people with pneumonia. That means people with COPD have an even higher risk of pneumonia compared to people with other conditions, such as diabetes or asthma. People with COPD who acquire pneumonia are at a higher risk of:²

• Severe pneumonia
• Admission to hospital
• Worse clinical outcomes

Other risk factors for pneumococcal disease

There are other risk factors in addition to living with COPD that can increase the chance of acquiring pneumococcal diseases like pneumonia. These include:³

• Age – As people reach age 65, the risk of hospitalization due to pneumonia increases.
• Medical conditions – Heart disease and heart failure, diabetes, asthma, history of stroke, and conditions that affect the immune system can all increase the risk of pneumonia.
• Smoking and alcohol abuse – People who smoke and/or engage in heavy alcohol consumption are also at a higher risk of pneumonia.

One study examined the pathogen, or cause, of pneumonia in people with COPD and found that the most frequent organism identified was the S. pneumoniae bacteria.²

Protecting yourself

Just like there are vaccines to protect you against viruses like the flu, there are vaccines to protect you against the bacteria that commonly cause pneumonia. There are 2 types of vaccines available to help protect against pneumococcal diseases like pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae:^4,5

• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15 or PCV20) – Recommended for children younger than 2 years of age, it is also for children ages 2 through 18 who are at high risk of pneumococcal disease.
• Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23, or Pneumovax23) – Recommended for children and adults for protection against pneumococcal germs, it is also suggested for all adults over the age of 65.

The difference between the vaccines is the number of bacteria strains they protect against. For example, PCV20, or Prevnar20, protects against 20 strains, while PPSV23 protects against 23.⁵

Which vaccine should I get?

PCVs are most commonly administered to children younger than 5 years old and older children with risk factors, as well as adults over the age of 50. PPSV23 is given to children between the ages of 2 and 18 who have certain health conditions.⁵

Adults with COPD should get 1 dose of PPSV23. You may be encouraged to get the Prevnar vaccine as well if you have other medical conditions that warrant it.^3,5

Have you had a pneumonia vaccine recently? Share your experiences in the comments below!