Vatican authorities say Pope Francis is infected with complex infections in his respiratory system and will require more targeted drug treatment. Officials said the 88-year-old pope is suffering from “most respiratory infections” but there were no further details on Monday about the severity of his illness or treatment would change.
Here are the latest diagnosis from the Pope and what his treatment may be involved in.
What are most respiratory infections?
Essentially, this means that bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites growing in someone's lungs are mixed together.
“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. Mao Sauler, who specializes in adult pulmonary and critical care medicine at Yale University's School of Drugs. This problem is common among older people who may have weak immune systems or suffer from complex health problems, he said.
“This could mean there are multiple organisms in his lungs,” Soller said, explaining that the pope's doctors may have to adjust his treatments to ensure that antibiotics attack all kinds of organisms.
How serious is this?
For someone with a history of the Pope – who lost a portion of his right lung decades ago and had previously suffered from pneumonia – fears he was hospitalized.
Dr Nick Hopkinson, UK medical director of Asthma + Pulmonary, said most healthy people may recover quickly from bronchitis.
But among people whose lungs are already damaged: “Bacteria can come to colonize the airways, and you start to see the infection, which makes it harder to treat.” In lung patients who have previously suffered from lungs, they may need respiratory help, Includes oxygen support or chest therapy to help them clear up fluid that accumulates in their lungs.
Still, Hopkinson said getting the Pope on the right medicine should help.
“If they determine the specific thing they are going to treat, they can treat it and he will start to recover.”
How long can this take?
it depends. Antibiotic treatment usually takes several days to about two weeks. Hopkinson said the pope could get a variety of medications, including people usually take asthma or a condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in addition to getting physical therapy to help keep the chest as clear as possible.
“Some infections require long-term treatment because they are difficult to remove from the system,” Hopkinson said. “It sounds like they have identified responsible mistakes and they will be able to treat them, but we just have to wait and see.”
Dr Peter Openshaw, a lung expert at Imperial College London, said that the existence of multiple organisms is not uncommon among people with a complex medical history, but it is difficult to manage.
Could the doctor be worried about other issues?
Pneumonia is likely to be worried.
“Even if we can treat pneumonia with antibiotics, pneumonia is one of the main causes of death,” said Saller of Yale University. He said antibiotics do not work in isolation and that a person's immune system will fight against pneumonia. Crucially, point out that the immune system of older people is usually less flexible.
“When you are 88 years old, the age of the pope, suddenly, your risk factors make the situation more difficult than regular pneumonia.”
What will the doctor monitor next?
The biggest thing to note in the next few days is any sign of the Pope getting worse, Soller said.
“I’m most interested in making sure he does his best, even if he can. [of his doctors]. This is usually a bad sign of prognosis, he said.
“I’m optimistic and hope he can get through with the right antibiotics.”
