Key Highlights
- There were 461,995 cases between April 2022 and March 2023. Pneumonia is the single biggest cause of emergency admissions and is responsible for more than double the number of cases of the next biggest.
- It can also be deadly: between April 2022 to March 2025 more than 97,000 people died of pneumonia after ending up in hospital. Dr Andy Whittamore, the clinical lead at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “These alarming figures are the result of respiratory care being neglected and deprioritised for too long.“Following recommended basic care guidelines for respiratory conditions can save and transform lives.
- I’ve seen first-hand with my patients the dramatic effect good basic care has on reducing hospital admissions.“However, too often we’re not getting the basics right and the result is increasing A&E and hospital pressures, rising healthcare costs and people with lung conditions left to deteriorate without support.”Pneumonia is a type of chest infection that affects tiny air sacs, called alveoli, in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
- It can be caused by a bacterial infection or virus, such as flu, RSV or Covid-19.
- People with lung conditions are much more susceptible to catching pneumonia as their lungs’ natural defences are already weakened, especially if their symptoms are not well managed at home. Asthma + Lung UK’s analysis also showed that people experiencing greater deprivation were 36% more likely to be admitted to hospital with pneumonia, often due to living in damp, mouldy and poorly ventilated housing or areas of high air pollution. Prof Nick Hopkinson, the medical director at Asthma + Lung UK and a specialist respiratory consultant, said pneumonia rates had been high since the Conservative and Lib Dem coalition government introduced austerity policies in 2010, barring a dip during the Covid crisis due to social distancing measures.
