Risk factors for pneumococcal infection
The risk factors for pneumococcal infection include:
- immunocompromise:
- primary and secondary immunoglobulin deficiencies:
- hypogammaglobulinaemia
- IgG subtype deficiencies
- specific antibody deficiencies
- B cell malignancy
- phagocyte dysfunction:
- neutropaenia
- hyposplenism
- cirrhosis of the liver
- complement deficiency:
- C2 or C3 deficiency
- primary and secondary immunoglobulin deficiencies:
- non-immunological compromise:
- skull fracture
- disruption of bronchial epithelium:
- influenza
- smoke inhalation
- eustachian tube obstruction
- decreased tissue perfusion:
- heart failure
- sickle cell anaemia
- physiological:
- age less than 2 years
- pneumococcal infections are more common in adults over 50 years of age; patients over 65 years are 2-5 times more likely to develop pneumococcal infection than the general population (1)
Reference:
- Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (1998), 36 (10), 73-6.
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