Pope Francis remains hospitalized and has pneumonia in both lungs, multiple outlets reported Tuesday, after the Vatican said on Monday he had “a complex clinical picture” that would require he stay hospitalized—news that comes after the leader of the Catholic Church was admitted last week for testing and bronchitis treatment.
Pope Francis holds his homily during the weekly General Audience at the Paul VI Hall on February 12, ... [+]
The Vatican announced Tuesday Francis had bilateral pneumonia and said “laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” according to the Associated Press.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Tuesday night a follow-up CT scan that afternoon revealed the onset of pneumonia in both lungs, which requires “additional drug therapy.”
Earlier Tuesday, the Vatican said the pope had “rested well overnight” at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic—where he has been since Friday, when he checked in for “some necessary diagnostic tests” and treatment for bronchitis.
The Vatican said in a press release early Monday that medical tests showed Francis had a “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract,” which indicated treatment will change and he will require further hospitalization, and said later in the pope was in “stable” condition without a fever and is “proceeding with the prescribed treatment.”
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If the pneumonia is caused by bacteria, it can be treated with an antibiotic, but if it is viral pneumonia it can be treated with an antiviral medication, rest and symptom management, according to the American Lung Association. If pneumonia is severe enough that one is hospitalized, the ALA said it can be treated with “intravenous fluids and antibiotics, as well as oxygen therapy, and possibly other breathing treatments.” Older people, people with weakened immune systems and those with other medical problems are more at risk for complications to pneumonia, which can include respiratory failure, severe respiratory failure or sepsis.
A polymicrobial infection can be acute or chronic and is caused by “various combinations of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites,” according to the National Institutes of Health. The Vatican didn’t specify which kind of polymicrobial infection Francis has beyond saying it was in the respiratory tract, meaning the bacteria is in his lungs.
The NIH reports polymicrobial infections are usually treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic treatments can take days to weeks, though Dr. Nick Hopkinson, medical director of Asthma + Lung UK, told the Associated Press the pope may be on a number of medicines to fight various illnesses and keep his chest clear and said, “some infections require prolonged treatment because they’re just harder to clear from the system.”
On Sunday the Vatican said the pope’s medical team ordered “complete rest,” but on Monday Bruni told reporters Francis was “in good spirits” and has continued doing some of his work, including checking in on parishioners in Gaza. A number of his public events have been canceled, though: The Vatican said Tuesday he would not be presiding over the Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons on Feb. 23, and another Jubilee scheduled for Saturday and the pope’s weekly general audience were both canceled.
- That’s the age of Pope Francis, who has had a number of health concerns and has been serving as pope for nearly 12 years.
Francis has had a history of respiratory health issues, including undergoing surgery in 1957 to remove part of his lung because of an infection, USA Today reported. He was hospitalized with a respiratory infection in March 2023 after having sharp pains in his chest and trouble breathing, and was diagnosed with bronchitis at the time, resulting in a three-day hospital stay. He was also hospitalized in July 2021 for 10 days after suffering a narrowing of the large intestine, and he has had a portion of his colon removed. Francis often uses a wheelchair or walker when seen in public, but said in a new autobiography he is well and “The reality is, quite simply, that I am old,” Reuters reported. He added: “The Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.”
Vatican says the pope has a "polymicrobial respiratory tract infection." What is that? | AP News (Associated Press)