PNEUMONIA IN THE COVID-19 ERA – EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN’S PERSPECTIVE. PART I – ETIOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

Abstract

Lower respiratory tract infections are one of the most common causes of death. From many years Poland was ranked fourth among the EU countries with the highest number of deaths from pneumonia. No observational studies among Polish patients with pneumonia have been conducted so far that would enable to determine the true scale of the problem, and no risk and etiological factors that are specific to the population of the country have been defined. Despite continuous advances in medicine, managing pneumonia remains a challenge for the clinician, especially in the Emergency Department. The greatest challenge is the correct diagnosis of pneumonia, qualification for admission to the hospital ward, as well as outpatient treatment and immediate treatment. Problems in patient care may include: non-specific symptoms, especially in elderly patients who are the most common ED patients, a limited number of tests that can be performed on ED in a short period of time, no clear recommendations regarding the management of the patient, a wide spectrum of pathogens involved in the pathogenesis of pneumonia (and new pathogens, e.g. SARSCoV- 2), bacterial resistance to antibiotics and finally emphasis on profitability of therapy. The paper describes the epidemiological data and possible etiological factors of community acquired pneumonia. In second part, we will focus on the diagnostic possibilities (including SARS-CoV-2 infections) and the issues related to the treatment.