# Does the common cold cause pneumonia in healthy people?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 17, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018 "2013-09-17T00:14:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CloneFive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@CloneFive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CloneFive)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018/1 "2013-09-17T00:14:52Z")

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I am somewhat of a hypochondriac. My neutrophil count is fine, and I have not had any illness for six months however I do have asthma that is caused by an infection or exertion. Can I, a healthy young adult, get pneumonia from the common cold?

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**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018/2 "2013-09-17T01:41:11Z")

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Pneumonia is a condition, not a specific disease. It literally means “a lung condition.” It can be caused by chemical inflammation of pulmonary tissue as well as any number of micro-organisms from viruses to bacteria to prokaryotes (like amoebas). A normal, otherwise healthy person almost never develops pneumonia from common upper respiratory infections like cold viruses, because your immune system takes care of the invading organism before the entire lungs become inflamed and filled with purulent, fetid, tenacious sputum and cellular debris. Sometimes, though, a secondary infection occurs when a normally harmless or controlled organism takes advantage of the compromised lung tissue and sets up house-keeping in the pulmonary tract. Sort of like discovering squatters have moved in after a riot. Bacterial pneumonias are treatable with antibiotics. Viral pneumonias require treatment of symptoms. In tough cases a patient might be given an antiviral medication, though I have been out of pulmonary medicine for some time and am not up on the latest treatment of pneumonias. So to answer your question, the common rarely leads to pneumonia.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018/3 "2013-09-17T01:46:23Z")

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Can? Sure. Commonly no. Cause an asthma flare without doubt. That could indirectly could go into a pneumonia too.

Influenza OTOH more commonly could so be sure to get your influenza shot ASAP.

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**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018/4 "2013-09-17T02:33:47Z")

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> [@CloneFive](#):
>
> I am somewhat of a hypochondriac. My neutrophil count is fine, and I have not had any illness for six months however I do have asthma that is caused by an infection or exertion. Can I, a healthy young adult, get pneumonia from the common cold?

Some of the viruses that cause common colds may also cause viral pneumonia.

Viral pneumonia is mostly something that happens to children.

Bacterial pneumonia after a viral infection is mostly something that happens to older people.

In fact, even as an asthmetic, a healthy young adult you would probably find it difficult to get pneumonia. It doesn’t often happen to healthy young adults.

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**Author:** ![CloneFive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@CloneFive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CloneFive)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-common-cold-cause-pneumonia-in-healthy-people/669018/5 "2013-09-18T16:29:37Z")

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Thanks for the answers so far!