I know. Sounds crazy. Settle a debate with my wife. She claims that if you have allergies you are much more prone to developing pneumonia. I said you either get exposed to the virus or you do not, and develop it or do not- allergies irrespective.
You cannot get pneumonia just because you have allergies, and you are no more or less likely to be exposed and develop a full-blown case just because you have allergies. Or, so I believe.
Pneumonia is basically and inflamation of the lungs (the parenchyma, really). Any irritant could cause it. The name is often associated with Pneumococcus, but not all pneumonias are pneumococcal.
ETA: the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is not a virus but a bacterium
There are bacterial pneumonias. There are viral pneumonias. Sometimes something causes damage to the tissue (a virus, irritant, etc) and the pneumonia occurs secondary to the primary insult.
Cartooniverse- If I were officiating, I’d award the points to your wife.
My 3-yr-old daughter has allergies (our cat was one trigger), which are severe enough to qualify as asthma, which made her very ill when she caught RSV, which landed her in the hospital, which brought the Respiratory Therapists who whacked on her little back and told me “Gotta keep those lungs clear. Keep her upright in bed, and get her on her feet as soon as you can, or she’ll develop pneumonia.”
I take alergies to mean breathing problems like asthema, and or fluid build up in the sinuses and throat. Anything that reduces the lungs ability to clean out contaminates increases the risk of pneumonia. A weakened immune system will also increase the risk of developing pneumonia.
Excerpt:Pneumonia is an inflammation of the working tissue in the lungs. White cells in the lungs occur in a pattern that prevents the alveoli, the air-exchanging part of the lungs, from performing properly.
Additional Excerpt:This condition is caused by a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other types of organisms that evade the impressive range of defenses against them in the upper respiratory tract or enter through the mouth, evading the epiglottis
Aspiration Pneumonia
Bacteria within the mouth is harmless when it stays in the mouth. However, when the gag reflex is diminished, bacteria can enter the lungs and cause infection.
Opportunistic Pneumonia
There are pneumonias which exist and are harmless to people with healthy immune systems. However, when immune systems are vulnerable, due to infection or illness, some pneumonias can become harmful.