An NHS doctor has revealed the vital signs of pneumonia and explained the chilling statistic that of those admitted to hospital, one in ten do not survive. Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie caused concern when she was admitted to hospital after her flu infection turned into pneumonia. The NHS has been struggling with numbers of serious cases being admitted with more than 5,000 people a day needing hospital treatment.
Earlier this week NHS Scotland reported the number of deaths involving flu in the first week of this year was almost quadruple that of the same time last year. Data from NHS England shows there were an average of 5,408 flu patients in beds in England each day last week, including 256 in critical care.
This is up 21% from 4,469 the previous week, when 211 were in critical care. Carrie Johnson spent almost a week in hospital with flu and pneumonia, after struggling to breathe properly with a chest infection, she said in an Instagram post.
The wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson said in the post on Saturday that she is still not recovered and “it could take another few weeks until I feel like myself again”. In the post she praised NHS nurses and doctors as “the best people on earth” and added her “strong advice” was for people to get the flu jab.
Speaking after the drama TV doctor Mark Porter, who has appeared on BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain, gave some tips about what to look for if pneumonia develops in your illness. Writing in The Times Dr Porter said flu can lead to complications including ear infections and febrile convulsions to heart failure, paralysis (Guillain-Barré syndrome) and stillbirth, and added: “it is the impact on the respiratory system that causes the biggest problems.”
Dr Porter said recent research in Japan revealed 1 in 300 flu infections develop into pneumonia, with it much more prevalent in older people. He said: “The odds of recovery vary with the individual and the cause of their pneumonia. Most cases in people with flu are due to secondary bacterial infection and, if sick enough to require hospital admission, then about one in ten will not survive,rising to one in three for those that need intensive care.
“The older you are, and the more underlying health issues you have, the greater the risk.” Dr Porter said that a big issue with flu is that it often makes people feel terrible, “so spotting who is developing worrying symptoms of a more serious infection is much harder than in people with milder viral coughs and colds.
“The cough itself is a poor indicator of severity. Innocent viral coughs and colds can easily last two to three weeks, sound “chesty” and produce yellow or green phlegm, while a child with pneumonia may just have a nagging dry cough.”
In terms of red flags, Dr Porter said: “New shortness of breath, particularly if severe enough to be noticeable at rest, should always raise concerns. Chest pain, often on taking a deep breath, is another red flag, as is coughing up blood or blood-tinged phlegm. And check your pulse. A resting heart rate consistently more than 100 in an adult is concerning.
“Fever is traditionally another way to differentiate milder viral causes of cough from pneumonia because temperatures tend to be higher (38.5C or more) in the latter. However, unlike most other respiratory viral infections, flu often causes high temperatures too. And it can also make you feel awful, blunt your appetite and confine you to bed, all signs of more worrying infection, further muddying diagnostic waters.”
He said if it’s spotted early many cases of secondary chest infection and pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics at home, and the outcome is good, but added: “it pays to have a high index of suspicion, particularly if you have underlying health issues such as existing chest disease that mean you are at higher risk of complications.”
Dr Porter said people should where possible seek out a flu vaccination.