Alcohol use disorders and pneumonia: susceptibility and severity.

Abstract

Introduction: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) represents a major public health issue that produces far-reaching physiological effects. AUD is an underappreciated, yet critical risk factor clinicians need to be aware of and screen for to integrate preventive and therapeutic strategies when dealing with pneumonia in this vulnerable population. This research paper investigates the link between AUD and pneumonia by examining both the elevated risk of lung infection and the intensified disease severity.

Areas covered: The available epidemiological data show that people with AUD experience elevated rates of both community-acquired and hospital-acquired pneumonia. This review examines the detailed mechanisms of AUD as suggested by current research findings. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed between 1785 and 2025. Open Evidence was also used as a search engine to look for specific papers addressing a specific question of interest.

Expert opinion: These studies indicate that alcohol consumption makes people more prone to infections through various mechanisms. Alcohol-related comorbidities exacerbate pneumonia outcomes, resulting in elevated hospitalization rates, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and patient deaths. This review emphasizes the need for combined healthcare strategies that treat substance use disorders together with measures to prevent infection risks to improve patient outcomes.