Community-Acquired Pneumonia and its Management

Abstract

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and places a large burden on medical and economic resources, particularly if hospitalization is required. Indeed, it has been estimated that annual costs of inpatient treatment of patients with CAP currently exceed $US6 billion in the US; a large proportion of this cost is directly related to the duration of hospital stay. Initial antibacterial therapy for CAP is usually empirical, as culture and antibacterial sensitivity test results are rarely available at initial diagnosis. Importantly, treatment must be initiated promptly to achieve the best patient outcome thereby potentially reducing healthcare costs, largely as a result of a decrease in hospitalisation. Any agent selected for empirical therapy should have good activity against pathogens associated with CAP, a favorable tolerability profile and be administered in a simple dosage regimen for good compliance.