Pope Francis has bilateral pneumonia and a “polyimicrobial infection of the respiratory tract”. Here’s what that means.

Pope Francis It has a complex infection in its respiratory system and will require more targeted drug treatment, according to the Vatican authorities on Monday. Tuesday was subjected to scan CT’s chest, which showed the beginning double -sided pneumoniademanding further drug therapy, the Vatican press said.

88-year-old Pope was hospitalized Since Friday at the Gemelli Roman hospital after he got off with bronchitis a week before, and officials said he was suffering from “polymycrobial respiratory tract infection”.

Here’s the Pope’s diagnosis and what his treatment could include.

What is bilateral pneumonia?

Bilateral or double pneumonia is when you have pneumonia in both lungs. Pneumonia is an infection that inflammation of the air bag of lungs, which can lead to fluid filling. Symptoms include cough, fever, winter and breathing problems.

Pneumonia can move from mild to life dangerous. It is most serious for newborns and people over 65, as well as people with heart problems or weakened immune system.

This development was likely to worry with respect to the Pope’s health.

“Although we can treat pneumonia with antibiotics, pneumonia is also one of the leading causes of death,” Saler said of Yale University. He said antibiotics did not act on isolation and that a person’s immune system is also crucial to combat pneumonia, pointing out that the immune system in elderly people is usually not resistant.

“When you are 88, the age of the Pope, you suddenly have risk factors that make the situation more difficult than routine pneumonia.”

What is the infection of the polyMicrobial respiratory tract?

Basically, this means that there is a mixture of bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites that grow in one’s lungs.

“Often people will get bronchitis or respiratory infection, and this can often launch multiple problems cascades, including infections in the lungs,” said Dr. Maor Sauler, who specializes in the drug of pulmonary and critical care for adults at the Yale University of Yale University of Yale University medicine. He said such issues are common in older people whose immune system could be weaker or had complex health issues.

“That probably means there are more than one body in the lungs,” Saler said, explaining that the Pope’s doctors may have to adjust the treatment to make sure that antibiotics attack all different organisms.

Pneumonia is a diagnosis of inflammation or fluid in the lungs, which can cause a viral, bacterial or fungal infection. “Bilateral” pneumonia means that the infection has developed into both lungs.

How serious is the infection of the polyMicrobial respiratory tract?

For someone with Pope’s medical history – he lost some of his right lungs a decade ago and had previously had pneumonia – he was worried that he was hospitalized.

Dr. Nick Hopkinson, Medical Director of Asthma + Lung UK, said most healthy people are likely to recover quickly from bronchitis.

But in people whose lungs are already damaged, “bacteria can come and colonize the airways … and start seeing infections that make it difficult to treat.” In people with lungs that have been prevents before, they may need help in breathing, including the support of oxygen or a chest physiotherapy to help them clean the fluids accumulate in the lungs.

Still, Hopkinson said that getting the Pope for the right medication should help.

“If they have identified certain things for treatment, they can be treated and he will start recovering.”

How much could this take?

It depends. Antibiotic treatments usually last from a few days to about two weeks. Hopkinson said the Pope could give various medicines, including those that people usually take for asthma or conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, except that physiotherapy got to be a clearer chest.

“Some infections require long -term treatment because it is only harder to clean them from the system,” Hopkinson said. “It sounds like they have identified responsible mistakes and they will be able to treat them … but we will just have to wait and see.”

Dr. Peter Openshaw, a lung expert from Imperial College London, said that the presence of more organisms is not unusual for people with complex medical history, but that it could be difficult to manage them.

What will the doctors follow the following?

Saler said that the biggest thing to look out for in the coming days is any sign that the Pope is getting worse.

“I would be most interested in not getting worse despite the best efforts (from his doctors). This is usually a bad forecasting sign,” he said, adding that he would probably review his condition in a few days to see if either or or not prescribed medication.

“I have optimism and I hope it will be able to break through with real antibiotics.”

What are the Pope other health questions?

Pope Francis has been treated for numerous health issues in recent years, including two abdominal Surgery and a few previous ones respiratory infectionsincluding the one who hospitalized for days before Holy Week 2023. Knee problems He brought him to reduce him to travel, and he often uses a wheelchair.

He said in 2022: “I think at my age I have to save (my energy) in order to serve the Church or on the contrary, think about the possibility of deviation.”

But in rare interview With CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell 2024, Pope described his health as “fine” and said he was not planning to leave the papacy.

“Maybe if a day comes when my health can’t go on,” Francis said. “Maybe because it’s the only powerlessness I have in my knee, and it gets a lot better for me. But that never happened to me.”